Aflatoxin B1 levels in feedstuffs from dairy cow farms in south of Iran

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) occurrence was determined in 359 different feedstuff samples supplied to 144 dairy cow farms of the Fars province, and its levels were compared with Iranian legal regulation. Quantitative analysis of AFB1 was performed by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The contamination rate and overall mean level of AFB1 in the all samples were 94.81% and 4.12 ± 0.53 μg kg⁻¹, respectively. The level of AFB1 in 36 samples (10.94%) was higher than the maximum accepted levels for animal feed (5 μg kg⁻¹) in Iran and the European Commission. The mean of AFB1 levels exceeded the maximum accepted levels in Iran for corn, alfalfa hay and soybean meal feedstuffs. The time of sampling unlike the geographical area and the type of farms significantly (P < 0.05) affected the AFB1 levels in destined feedstuffs for dairy farms.