Document Type : Review Article

Authors

• Miaad K. Alkhudhairy ¹
• Rasha Fadhel Obaid ²
• Haider Qassim Raheem ³
• Ahmad Shaya Kareem ⁴
• Hamidreza Kianfar ⁵
• Mojtaba Memariani ⁶
• Maryam Kohansal ⁷
• Ali Taghinezhad ⁸

¹ College of Health and Medical Techniques, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Kufa, Iraq

² Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq

³ DNA Research Center, University of Babylon, Iraq

⁴ Department of Medical Laboratories Techniques, Imam Ja’afar Al-Sadiq University, Al-Muthanna 66002; Iraq,

⁵ Department of Microbiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran

⁶ Department of Microbiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

⁷ Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran

⁸ Department of English Language, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran,

Abstract

Dairy products are susceptible to contamination by various microorganisms, including fungal species, throughout the production, distribution, and storage phases, primarily due to non-compliance with hygienic standards. Notably, fungal microorganisms exhibit resilience to acidic and low-temperature environments, enabling their proliferation in diverse food matrices. The majority of spoilage is attributed to aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus species, such as A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. nomius, A. arizus, A. ariza, A. acreosus, and Penicillium puberculum. Among these, Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) poses a significant threat due to its carcinogenic potential. Conventional methods for aflatoxin removal, including physical and chemical approaches, are often costly, potentially unsafe, and detrimental to food quality. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), encompassing genera such as Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pedicoccus, and Streptococcus, offer a promising alternative for aflatoxin removal.

Keywords

• Aspergillus spp
• aflatoxins
• dairy products
• lactic acid bacteria

Main Subjects

• Biological sciences