Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Bifidobacterium lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus, both independently and in combination, in detoxifying skim milk contaminated with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1). To achieve this, two concentrations of the bacteria (8 and 10 log CFU/mL) were inoculated into skimmed milk contaminated with three levels of AFM1 (0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 μg/mL) and incubated at two different temperatures (4 and 42°C). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to measure the removal percentage of AFM1 at various intervals (30, 60, 120 minutes, and 24 hours). Results indicated a significant time-dependent increase in AFM1 removal from the skim milk. The removal efficiency of AFM1 by these bacterial strains ranged from 12% to 87%, influenced by bacterial concentration, incubation time, toxin concentration, and whether the bacteria were used alone or in combination. B. lactis exhibited a superior capacity for AFM1 removal compared to S. thermophilus. The optimal strategy for maximum AFM1 removal (87%) involved treating contaminated milk spiked with 0.5 μg/mL of AFM1 with a mixture of B. lactis and S. thermophilus at concentrations of 10 and 8 log CFU/mL, respectively, and incubating at 42ºC for 24 hours. This study suggests a potentially effective method for reducing AFM1 concentrations in the dairy industry, thereby mitigating public health risks associated with aflatoxin contamination. The implications of these findings could significantly contribute to improving food safety standards and reducing exposure to harmful toxins in dairy products. Further research is recommended to explore the underlying mechanisms of AFM1 removal by these probiotic strains and to validate these findings under commercial dairy processing conditions.