Screening of aflatoxin B1 and M1 in feed, commercial, and desi chicken eggs using high-performance thin layer chromatography

Abstract

Background: Egg consumption in India has increased due to dietary and lifestyle changes. Thus, there is a need to screen for any contamination hazardous to public health. The objective was to evaluate the presence of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and aflatoxin M₁(AFM₁) in feed and egg samples collected from commercial and desi farms in and around Chennai. Method: To determine the compartment where aflatoxin (AFT) accumulates, egg samples were fractionated into three: whole, yolk, and albumen. Matrixes were screened for AFB₁ and AFM₁ residues using the AOAC method and quantified using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Result: Eighty percent of the feed samples from desi chicken farms and 86.67% from commercial farms were positive for AFB₁. The highest value of AFB₁ was 152.75 ppb in commercial feed samples, which was more than the MRL (20 ppb) by the European Union (EU). Five percent of the commercial and 11.67% of the desi chicken whole egg samples were positive for AFB₁. Other samples (yolk and albumen) were below the detection limits. AFB₁concentration was more in egg samples collected from commercial chicken farms. Further stringent measures, control, and monitoring programs must be considered to reduce AFT levels in Chennai.

Keywords: laying hens, egg production, feedstuffs, mycotoxins, residual effect, albumin, yolk.