Pilot study for the presence of fungal metabolites in sheep milk from first spring milking

Abstract

Introduction: A mini-study of 20 raw milk samples was conducted to examine the spectrum of fungal metabolites in sheep milk from the first spring milking. Material and Methods: Samples were collected from randomly selected ewes in two animal flocks from the Bieszczady Mountains and analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Out of ~700 bacterial, fungal, and plant metabolites tested for, only one mycotoxin - Enniatin B - was detected in sheep milk samples (18/20; 0.0055-0.0121 µg/kg; 0.0078 µg/kg average). Conclusions: The results indicated that there was no high-level exposure to fungal metabolites via consumption of raw sheep milk during the sample collection period.