Ludhiana, Punjab – Veterinary and food safety scientists are raising serious concerns over the growing risk of aflatoxin contamination in India’s dairy supply chain, warning that conventional practices such as boiling milk offer no protection against these invisible yet highly toxic compounds.
Aflatoxins are heat‑stable fungal toxins produced by Aspergillus species that thrive in warm, humid conditions. Once present in cattle feed, these toxins can move silently from farm storage sheds into household milk vessels, posing long‑term health risks, particularly to children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
During a recent One Health brainstorming session at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), experts highlighted that the contamination pathway often begins well before milk reaches processing plants or consumers. Improper storage of grains, oilseeds, silage and compound feed allows fungi to proliferate, producing Aflatoxin B1, which is later converted inside the animal’s liver into Aflatoxin M1 and excreted directly into milk.
Why Aflatoxins Are a Unique Dairy Risk
Unlike bacterial contamination, aflatoxins cannot be detected through smell, taste or visual inspection. More critically for the dairy sector, they survive boiling, pasteurization and ultra‑heat treatment, meaning downstream processing offers little protection once contamination has occurred at the feed stage.
India follows a stringent regulatory threshold, permitting a maximum of 0.5 parts per billion (ppb) of Aflatoxin M1 in milk. Even minor deviations above this limit can render milk unsafe under food safety regulations, exposing cooperatives and private dairies to both public health risks and reputational damage.
The challenge is magnified in a country where a large proportion of milk originates from smallholder farmers, many of whom rely on traditional storage systems that are vulnerable to moisture ingress, seasonal humidity and fungal growth.
Feed Storage: The Hidden Weak Link
Veterinary nutrition experts stress that the cow is not the problem. The issue lies in how the feed is handled after harvest. Standard high‑risk practices include:
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Storing feed directly on damp floors or against walls
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Poor ventilation leading to high humidity in sheds
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Long‑term storage of silage without moisture monitoring
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Use of mould‑affected maize, peanuts or oilseed cakes
Scientific assessments show that grains and fodder must be dried to below 12 per cent moisture content before storage to minimise fungal activity. However, climate variability, unseasonal rainfall and rising temperatures are making this increasingly complex, particularly in northern and central India.
Climate Change Is Raising the Stakes
Aflatoxin risk is no longer a sporadic problem. Changing climate patterns are expanding the geographic footprint of fungal contamination. Warmer winters, erratic monsoons and prolonged humidity create ideal conditions for Aspergillus growth, turning feed sheds into unintentional fungal incubators.
For the Indian dairy industry, this introduces a new dimension to dairy food safety, linking climate resilience, feed management and milk quality more closely than ever before.
Mitigation Measures: From Prevention to Control
Experts consistently emphasize that prevention at the feed level remains the most effective defence. This includes better drying practices, improved shed design, aeration, routine feed inspection and shorter storage cycles.
As a secondary safeguard, aflatoxin binders are increasingly being promoted. These additives, mixed into cattle feed, bind toxins in the animal’s digestive tract and reduce their absorption into the bloodstream, thereby lowering the carry‑over into milk. While not a substitute for proper storage, binders can significantly reduce risk when used correctly.
Pre‑harvest strategies are also gaining importance. Crop rotation, improved soil health and the use of fungus‑resistant seed varieties can reduce contamination before feed even enters the storage chain.
Detection and Technology: A New Frontier
Recognising the need for early intervention, GADVASU is collaborating with IIT Delhi, IARI, and PGIMER, Chandigarh, under the National One Health Mission on a multi-year research initiative. The project aims to develop portable aflatoxin detection devices that can be used directly at feed stores, collection points and milk procurement centres.
In parallel, extensive aflatoxin mapping across Punjab is planned to identify regional hotspots, enabling targeted advisory and regulatory responses rather than blanket interventions.
Implications for the Indian Dairy Industry
For cooperatives, processors and policymakers, aflatoxins represent more than a food safety issue. They threaten consumer trust, export credibility and the nutritional promise of milk itself.
As India positions dairy as a pillar of nutrition security, particularly for children, feed hygiene, climate‑smart storage and farmer education must become integral to dairy development strategies. The aflatoxin challenge underscores the need for a truly integrated One Health approach, where animal, human, and environmental health are addressed together.
Milk remains one of India’s most powerful nutritional assets. Protecting it from invisible contaminants will require vigilance not at the processing plant, but at the very first step of the dairy value chain.
