MYCOTOXINS IN MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS

The article gives an overview of modern opinions about the ways of possible contamination of milk and dairy products by mycotoxyn. The key indicator of the presence of mycotoxins in milk  and dairy products is the level to which micromycetes affect productive livestock’s feed. Yet, mycromycetes and mycotoxines do not always occur together: some test samples can contain certain micromycetes, but no mycotoxines. Mycotoxines are synthesised by micromycetes only under certain favourable conditions. The multi-chambered stomach ecosystem of lactating cows utilises most mycotoxins occurring in food. Only a small amount of those is excreted in milk. However, some mycotoxins can bind to milk caseins. In this case, cheese and other dairy products can contain far higher amounts of mycotoxins than at  the initial stage of milk production. The paper compares the maximum permissible levels of mycotoxins in milk and in dairy products  according to the regulations of Ukraine and the EU. It presents the mycotoxins isolated from secretions of mammary glands of humans and productive animals, and describes their effect on the body’s physiology. It also provides a structural diagram of how mycotoxins contaminate milk and dairy products following the path “Animal feed – dairy products.” We suggest four-stage assessment of the risks of mycotoxin contamination of milk and dairy products: Stage I – identifying the producer of mycotoxin (molecule, metabolites in feed, milk, and dairy products). Anamnesis; Stage II – constructing a sequence diagram. Inspecting all production stages to identify the main ways  and periods of contamination, determining and describing the symptoms of contamination; Stage III – assessing how the intensity and duration of exposure to a mycotoxin and its metabolites are likely to effect on the body. Modelling the influence of mycotoxins on the body; Stage IV – assessing the risk and determining measures to eliminate or minimise it. Risk scenario forecast