Adsorbents selection for aflatoxins removal in bovine milks

This work deals with the aflatoxins M1 detoxification of bovine milk by adsorption processes. Several types of natural and industrial sorbents have been analyzed by considering their effects on the quality of the treated milk and their removal efficiencies. Treated milk characterization tests in terms of organic acids, lactose, chlorides, pH and protein contents show a moderate alteration of the milk properties proportionally with the sorbent dosage. On the other hand, experimental evidences reveal that the highest removal efficiencies (η > 90% for AFMs = 0.5 μg/kg) have been obtained for the activated carbons due to the concurrent effects of high surface area, sufficiently wide micropore size and higher affinity between the AFM molecules and the aromatic structure of the carbons. Also the bentonite shows significant removal efficiency, combined with lower side effects on the treated milk. Therefore, this preliminary analysis shows that an optimization of sorbent dosage should be considered to account for both a reliable detoxification of the milk and for assuring the acceptability of the treated milk in light of its direct reuse for human consumption or as raw material for dairy products.