Effects of Turmeric Powder on Aflatoxin M1 and AflatoxicolExcretion in Milk from Dairy Cows Exposed to Aflatoxin B1 atthe EU Maximum Tolerable Levels

Due to the climatic change, an increase in aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) maize contamination hasbeen reported in Europe. As an alternative to mineral binders, natural phytogenic compounds areincreasingly used to counteract the negative effects of AFB1 in farm animals. In cows, even lowdietary AFB1 concentrations may result in the milk excretion of the genotoxic carcinogen metaboliteaflatoxin M1 (AFM1). In this study, we tested the ability of dietary turmeric powder (TP), an extractfrom Curcuma longa (CL) rich in curcumin and curcuminoids, in reducing AFM1 mammary excretionin Holstein–Friesian cows. Both active principles are reported to inhibit AFM1 hepatic synthesisand interact with drug transporters involved in AFB1 absorption and excretion. A crossover designwas applied to two groups of cows (n= 4 each) with a 4-day washout. Animals received a dietcontaminated with low AFB1 levels (5±1μg/kg) for 10 days±TP supplementation (20 g/head/day).TP treatment had no impact on milk yield, milk composition or somatic cell count. Despite a tendencytoward a lower average AFM1 milk content in the last four days of the treatment (below EU limits),no statistically significant differences with the AFB1 group occurred. Since the bioavailability ofTP active principles may be a major issue, further investigations with different CL preparationsare warranted.