Abstract

In this study, the average level of aflatoxin M1 in various types of milk from 107 articles (297 studies with 16,274 milk samples) were meta-analyzed using random-effect model based on the milk varieties (animal species and heating processes), geographical regions, seasons, detection techniques and dairy farming subgroups. Studies on milk contamination with aflatoxin M1 in Iran were collected using universal and Persian databanks from January 1974 to the end of November 2021. The overall aflatoxin M1 mean concentration and prevalence in milk samples of Iran were 39.65 ng/l (95 CI: 36.00–43.30) and 80 (95 CI: 76–85), respectively. The rank order of importance of various variables in mean levels of aflatoxin M1 in milk samples included milk type (animal species) > geographical regions > detection techniques > dairy farming types > milk types (heating processes) > seasons. Findings revealed that the overall content of aflatoxin M1 in milk samples of Iran was lower than that allowed by the European Union, Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, and the USA, possibly due to the milk monitoring by the Iranian regulatory systems. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.