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

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. Samples were collected from randomly selected ewes in two animal flocks from the Bieszczady Mountains and analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. 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). The results indicated that there was no high-level exposure to fungal metabolites consumption of raw sheep milk during the sample collection period.