Madurai: An alarming 60% of the milk samples lifted from Madurai city and rural areas tested as a part of the National Milk Safety and Quality Survey, 2018 were found “non-compliant”, but a bigger worry was that at least one-third of the samples had a cancer-causing ingredient aflatoxin M1.
A report of the survey was released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on Friday. The report deals with safety and quality of liquid milk tested between May 2018 and October 2018 covering all states and UTs. More than 6,432 samples, including 551 from over 30 districts in Tamil Nadu, were tested.
“As per the report, 51% of the milk samples in TN were marked as non-compliant compared to 41% of all-India standards. Nearly 88 samples from the state tested positive for aflatoxin,” said state food safety deputy director Dr K Vanaja.
Food safety analysts said poorly maintained cattle sheds where fodder is not frequently replaced or kept dry can cause growth of fungus. “The food gets contaminated with aflatoxin. It is passed on to the milk as well,” said a senior government food analyst. “Pasteurization and sterilization of milk have little effect on aflatoxin M1 thus as waste product it remains in milk,” she said.
Among the 25 samples from Madurai district, only 10 samples were found to be compliant. Nine samples from Madurai, four samples each from Anaiyur, Avaniyapuram, Thirumangalam and Thiruparankundram were tested. Three among nine samples from Madurai, three out of four samples from Anaiyur and one sample each from Avaniyapuram, Thirumangalam and Thiruparankundram contained aflatoxin.
“It is one of the commonest causes of liver cancer. When ingested, it gets concentrated in the liver and triggers growth of cancer cells,” said surgical gastroenterologist Dr R Surendran of MIOT Hospital. “We no longer test for aflatoxin in liver biopsies, but it now looks like it is time to get this done at least as evidence for a policy,” he said.
The report says this is the first time that presence of aflatoxin M1 in milk has been assessed in India. “Aflatoxin M1 comes in the milk through feed and fodder, which are currently not regulated in the country,” the report said. Medical literature has several published data linking aflatoxin to low birth weight and stunted growth in children.
Besides aflatoxin, doctors say presence of antibiotics in milk is a cause of concern. Of the 551 samples from the state, three samples had traces of antibiotic. One of them was found in the sample from Anaiyur, in Madurai. “Repeated use of antibiotic can make even some of the powerful, last-resort drugs redundant. With more and more superbugs, resistance to antibiotic can be one of the biggest public health hazards,” said infectious disease expert Dr Abdul Ghaffur, who is also the technical advisory member, of the national antibiotic policy.
State health secretary Beela Rajesh, who is also the commissioner of food safety, said the government is now planning a larger study to identify hotspots. “The survey has district-wise data but as of now we don’t know the name of brands or where the contaminated milk was picked from,” she said. District food safety officials will pick samples from more than 140 manufacturing units across the state. “We will be systematically screening milk provided by co-operative societies and vendors as well. It will be on our priority list now,” she said.
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