MILK: HOW TO IDENTIFY TOXINS TO AVOID CONTAMINATION AND HEALTH HAZARDS

One of the most pressing requirements in the dairy industry is the early detection of possible contamination from toxic substances in milk. In particular, milk and dairy products can become contaminated with aflatoxin M1, a potent carcinogen that originates from fungal-infested feed (Aspergillus flavus) and can be transferred into the milk of the intoxicated animal. This event is a threat to the health of consumers and causes significant economic losses for the dairy industry.

Currently available methods for the detection of aflatoxin are very accurate but also require a lot of time and are expensive. The SYMPHONY project offers a new generation of high-tech devices capable of paving the way for faster and more efficient methods for product quality analysis in the dairy industry and which can allow for greater precision and efficiency in managing the production and distribution processes, especially in relation to the issue of aflatoxin contamination. In particular, the aim is to detect aflatoxin in milk and dairy products in a fast and efficient manner through the integration of different technologies such as photonics, microfluidics and microbiology.

The results of the project have been published on the European Commission website at this link