Measuring the amount of aflatoxin B1 in sausages sold in Karaj County by the ELISA method

Subject Areas : Food Hygiene

shaghayegh soltanzadeh ¹ , seyed majid hashemi ²

1 - Department of Food Hygiene, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 - Research Center of Nutrition and Organic Products (R.C.N.O.P), Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

Received: 2024-09-17 Accepted : 2025-02-17 Published : 2025-05-21

Keywords: Aflatoxin B1, Sausage, Meat products, ELISA,

Abstract :

Mycotoxins pose various toxic and carcinogenic risks to both animal and human health. Aflatoxin B₁, a secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, is of particular concern due to its potential to compromise food safety and endanger consumer health. This study aimed to detect and compare the levels of aflatoxin B₁ in different types of Persian sausages (Kalbas) sold in Karaj County using the ELISA method. In this study, 90 samples of Persian sausages—both with and without nuts—were randomly collected from retail outlets in Karaj County during the winter of 2022. The samples were transported under hygienic, refrigerated conditions to a food hygiene laboratory, where they were analyzed for aflatoxin B₁ content using the ELISA technique. Among the 90 samples, 47 (52.22%) were found to be contaminated with aflatoxin B₁. Contamination was more prevalent in nut-containing Persian sausages. The highest levels of aflatoxin B₁ were detected in dry Persian sausages with nuts (100%), followed by pepperoni with nuts (93.33%) and mortadella with nuts (86.66%). Despite the detected contamination, none of the samples exceeded the permissible limits set by Iranian food safety standards. The majority of contaminated samples (55.85%) had aflatoxin B₁ levels below 10 µg/kg. Based on the findings, consumption of these products does not currently pose a serious health risk. However, to further minimize exposure, it is recommended that regulatory authorities implement stricter controls and guidelines to reduce aflatoxin B₁ contamination in meat products.