OCHRATOXIN-A IN COWS MILK AND IN HUMAN-MILK WITH CORRESPONDING HUMAN BLOOD-SAMPLES

A method for determining ochratoxin A in milk has been elaborated in w hich the sample was subjected to a liquid-liquid extraction step and t hen purified on a silica gel column packed in a Pasteur pipet. The pur ified samples were analyzed by ion-pair liquid chromatography with flu orescence detection. The detection and quantitation limits for determi nation of ochratoxin A in cow's milk were 10 and 40 ng ochratoxin AA. milk, respectively. The same limits were valid for the analysis of hum an milk. A total of 36 cow's milk and 40 human milk samples were analy zed. All samples were collected in Sweden. Ochratoxin A was found in 5 (14%) of the cow's milk samples (range 10-40 ng/mL) and in 23 (58%) o f the human milk samples (range 10-40 ng/L). Blood samples were collec ted from the mothers who gave milk samples. A total of 39 samples were analyzed. All blood samples contained ochratoxin A in concentrations exceeding the quantitation limit (60 ng/L blood). The mean concentrati on of ochratoxin A in the samples was 167 ng/L blood (range ng/L). The concentration of ochratoxin A in human milk was less-than-or-equal-to 0.1 of that in the human blood.