Version 1
: Received: 6 March 2024 / Approved: 6 March 2024 / Online: 6 March 2024 (14:21:12 CET)
How to cite:
Tesfaye, A.T.; Kurtu, M.Y.; Mume, Y.Y.; Mohammed, A.H. Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk Collected from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia. Preprints2024, 2024030371. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0371.v1
Tesfaye, A.T.; Kurtu, M.Y.; Mume, Y.Y.; Mohammed, A.H. Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk Collected from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia. Preprints 2024, 2024030371. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0371.v1
Tesfaye, A.T.; Kurtu, M.Y.; Mume, Y.Y.; Mohammed, A.H. Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk Collected from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia. Preprints2024, 2024030371. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0371.v1
APA Style
Tesfaye, A.T., Kurtu, M.Y., Mume, Y.Y., & Mohammed, A.H. (2024). Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk Collected from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0371.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Tesfaye, A.T., Yesihak Yusuf Mume and Abdi Hassan Mohammed. 2024 "Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk Collected from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0371.v1
Abstract
Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a carcinogenic toxin, mainly contaminates cow milk and poses significant challenges to the dairy industry and, thereby, public health in most tropical countries, including Ethiopia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and level of AFM1 in raw cow milk collected from Specialized Dairy Farms and Milk Vendors in three Urban Centers: Chiro town, Dire Dawa, and Harar cities in Eastern Ethiopia. 180 milk samples were collected from two major Milk Sources: Specialized Dairy Farms (N=90) and Milk Vendors (N=90) using a simple random sampling technique. AFM1 was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The study revealed that, 63.9% (115/810) prevalence and 0.179±0.48µg/L mean of AFM1 level in milk, which 39.13% and 26.08% exceed the tolerable limits of EU and FDA respectively. A 40.0% prevalence and 0.344±0.72µg/L average of AFM1 in the milk from Dire Dawa city was significantly higher than the samples from other Urban Centers. However, 30.43% and 29.57% prevalence as well as 0.055±±0.13µg/L and 0.140±0.33µg/L average of AFM1 in milk from Chiro town and Harar city, respectively were not significant. Furthermore, milk samples from Dairy Farms revealed a higher prevalence (57.39%) and level (0.252±0.64µg/L) of AFM1 than Milk Vendors, with a prevalence of 42.61% and an average of 0.107±0.21µg/L. Therefore, this study concludes that substantial milk samples were contaminated by AFM1 and urges the need to enhance farmers' awareness on mitigation.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Comment:
I have read and reviewed the current manuscript as a reviewer. Additionally, I would like to confirm that I have no conflicts of interest with any of the authors.
Sections Comments:
Title Section:
As the reviewer, I understand your point about the relevance of including information about the collection of raw milk samples from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in the title of the manuscript. However, I think that this information may not be necessary in this section and could be better placed in the section outlining the aim of the study. Therefore, I believe a more suitable title could be 'Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 Levels in Raw Milk from Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia'.
Abstract Section:
1) "Prevalence" should be deleted from the text, as it may not accurately represent the intended meaning in the context of the study. Also, "Prevalence" typically refers to the proportion of a population that has a specific condition or characteristic at a specific point in time. Please check it all the text manuscript.
2) "180 milk samples...." should be changed to "A total of 180 milk samples" to avoid starting a sentence with a numeral.
3) "Specialized Dairy Farms (N=90) and Milk Vendors (N=90)..." The capital "N" should be changed to lowercase "n" to represent the sub-samples, as the total samples is 180.
4) "High-performance liquid chromatography" should be accompanied by the abbreviation in parentheses at its first mention, as follows: "High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)."
5) "The study revealed that, 63.9% (115/810) prevalence ..." There is a discrepancy with the number 810. Please verify if this number accurately reflects the total samples.
6) The conclusion should be reviewed to ensure that it aligns with the title and the findings presented in the abstract.
Introduction Section:
1) I recommend that the authors consider swapping the first and second paragraphs. In my opinion, it would be more effective to start the first paragraph of the introduction by emphasizing the importance of milk and dairy products as the cornerstones of a nutritious diet, providing essential nutrients to improve overall health. Following this, the text could then address the risk factors of contamination in milk, including concerns related to heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, and so on.
2) The current sentence "The proliferation of Aspergillus fungi and associated aflatoxins are determined by the host, fungus, and environmental stresses interaction" has some gaps.
Firstly, Aspergillus is a very common type of mold (fungus) that causes an infection called Aspergillosis. Therefore, the mention of Aspergillus fungi may not be directly relevant to supporting your text.
Secondly, several factors are related to the proliferation of Aspergillus in agricultural and dairy products, including the host, fungus, environmental stress interactions specially seasons, silage as animal fodder and etc.
I recommend studying the current articles for more details:
DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2021.2011254.
DOI: 10.3109/15569543.2014.922580.
DOI: 10.2174/1874944502013010512.
3) The authors have referenced several studies highlighting the high prevalence of AFM1 in the raw milk of dairy cows in sub-Saharan African countries with warm-humid tropics and subtropics climates. These studies underscore the significance of AFM1 in dairy products within specific agro-ecological zones. However, it might be more effective to condense this information into a brief paragraph and integrate the relevant studies into the discussion section of the manuscript.
Materials and Methods Section:
1) The Study Site Selection Figure 1 is not clear and comprehensible. What is the aim of referring to this figure? If you intend to illustrate the survey of different agro-ecological climates in the current region, it is important to include all relevant details in this section.
2) You mentioned that the samples were collected from September 2021 to January 2022. But you have not referred of seasons and storage of silage as animal fodder. I recommended read the current article:
DOI: 10.3390/dairy4040039.
3) Also, this section is too long. Please summarize it and avoid including meaningless and irrelevant content.
Results Section:
1) The reference '54' for the European Union (EU) limit corresponds to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 165/2010 dated 26 February 2010, which is an outdated reference. Please verify the updated reference. I recommend reading the current article with the following:
DOI: 10.18502/jfqhc.10.4.14175.
2) The statistical results should be checked by experts in the field of Biostatistics.
3) Could you kindly provide insights on the differences between Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets regarding environmental contamination, particularly with regard to aflatoxin M1? I am interested in understanding the variations in contamination levels and associated risk factors between these two settings.
In my opinion your results are confusing for a reader according to your title.
Discussion Section:
1) Table 5 is good, but the underline in the table body should be defined at the end of the table.
2) Some of my comments are mentioned in various sections such as seasons and other comments!! Kindly check them throughout the manuscript, addressing each comment individually.
Conclusion Section:
This section is too long. Please summarize it and avoid including meaningless and irrelevant content. Your conclusion should be supported by the aim of the study and future research.
Commenter:
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Sections Comments:
Title Section:
As the reviewer, I understand your point about the relevance of including information about the collection of raw milk samples from Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets in the title of the manuscript. However, I think that this information may not be necessary in this section and could be better placed in the section outlining the aim of the study. Therefore, I believe a more suitable title could be 'Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 Levels in Raw Milk from Selected Urban Centers of Eastern Ethiopia'.
Abstract Section:
1) "Prevalence" should be deleted from the text, as it may not accurately represent the intended meaning in the context of the study. Also, "Prevalence" typically refers to the proportion of a population that has a specific condition or characteristic at a specific point in time. Please check it all the text manuscript.
2) "180 milk samples...." should be changed to "A total of 180 milk samples" to avoid starting a sentence with a numeral.
3) "Specialized Dairy Farms (N=90) and Milk Vendors (N=90)..." The capital "N" should be changed to lowercase "n" to represent the sub-samples, as the total samples is 180.
4) "High-performance liquid chromatography" should be accompanied by the abbreviation in parentheses at its first mention, as follows: "High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)."
5) "The study revealed that, 63.9% (115/810) prevalence ..." There is a discrepancy with the number 810. Please verify if this number accurately reflects the total samples.
6) The conclusion should be reviewed to ensure that it aligns with the title and the findings presented in the abstract.
Introduction Section:
1) I recommend that the authors consider swapping the first and second paragraphs. In my opinion, it would be more effective to start the first paragraph of the introduction by emphasizing the importance of milk and dairy products as the cornerstones of a nutritious diet, providing essential nutrients to improve overall health. Following this, the text could then address the risk factors of contamination in milk, including concerns related to heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, and so on.
2) The current sentence "The proliferation of Aspergillus fungi and associated aflatoxins are determined by the host, fungus, and environmental stresses interaction" has some gaps.
Firstly, Aspergillus is a very common type of mold (fungus) that causes an infection called Aspergillosis. Therefore, the mention of Aspergillus fungi may not be directly relevant to supporting your text.
Secondly, several factors are related to the proliferation of Aspergillus in agricultural and dairy products, including the host, fungus, environmental stress interactions specially seasons, silage as animal fodder and etc.
I recommend studying the current articles for more details:
DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2021.2011254.
DOI: 10.3109/15569543.2014.922580.
DOI: 10.2174/1874944502013010512.
3) The authors have referenced several studies highlighting the high prevalence of AFM1 in the raw milk of dairy cows in sub-Saharan African countries with warm-humid tropics and subtropics climates. These studies underscore the significance of AFM1 in dairy products within specific agro-ecological zones. However, it might be more effective to condense this information into a brief paragraph and integrate the relevant studies into the discussion section of the manuscript.
Materials and Methods Section:
1) The Study Site Selection Figure 1 is not clear and comprehensible. What is the aim of referring to this figure? If you intend to illustrate the survey of different agro-ecological climates in the current region, it is important to include all relevant details in this section.
2) You mentioned that the samples were collected from September 2021 to January 2022. But you have not referred of seasons and storage of silage as animal fodder. I recommended read the current article:
DOI: 10.3390/dairy4040039.
3) Also, this section is too long. Please summarize it and avoid including meaningless and irrelevant content.
Results Section:
1) The reference '54' for the European Union (EU) limit corresponds to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 165/2010 dated 26 February 2010, which is an outdated reference. Please verify the updated reference. I recommend reading the current article with the following:
DOI: 10.18502/jfqhc.10.4.14175.
2) The statistical results should be checked by experts in the field of Biostatistics.
3) Could you kindly provide insights on the differences between Specialized Dairy Farms and Local Markets regarding environmental contamination, particularly with regard to aflatoxin M1? I am interested in understanding the variations in contamination levels and associated risk factors between these two settings.
In my opinion your results are confusing for a reader according to your title.
Discussion Section:
1) Table 5 is good, but the underline in the table body should be defined at the end of the table.
2) Some of my comments are mentioned in various sections such as seasons and other comments!! Kindly check them throughout the manuscript, addressing each comment individually.
Conclusion Section:
This section is too long. Please summarize it and avoid including meaningless and irrelevant content. Your conclusion should be supported by the aim of the study and future research.