MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION

Since the 1920s, when the medical community first made public its nutritional advantages, cow'smilk has been an essential part of the human diet, particularly for developing infants whorelyonit as their main source of nutrition. Aflatoxin occurrence and fungal contamination in milkanddairy products, however, have grown to be significant issues. This study used moleculartechniques to isolate and identify aflatoxigenic molds in raw cow milk and its locally processedproducts. Sixteen samples of locally processed milk products and raw cow milk were collectedfrom two markets in Benin City, Edo state: Aduwawa and Oluku. Using the pour plate method, all samples were serially diluted and inoculated on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Using molecularand cultural methods, pure cultures were obtained and fungal isolates were identified. Eachisolate's aflatoxin-coding gene (aflD) was identified through the use of the Polymerase ChainReaction (PCR) method. An electronic pH meter (PH-98108) was used to measure each sample'spH, and the AOAC method was used to determine each sample's moisture content. There wasarange of 0.10±0.00 to 0.90±0.10×10³ Cfu/ml in the fungal counts. Fusariumoxysporum, Penicillium sp., Penicillium digitatum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporiumsp., Rhizopus nigricans, and Curvularia lunata are among the fungi that were isolated duringthisinvestigation. Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus niger were the most common fungi (23%) andtheleast common (8%), respectively, were Penicillium digitatum, Rhizopus nigricans, andCurvalaria lunata. The samples' mean pH values varied between 4.20±0.10 and 6.30±0.10, andtheir moisture content varied between 7.00±1.00 and 22.00±2.00%. The molecularcharacterization results showed that the aflD gene was present in every Aspergillus species. Thisstudy found that raw cow milk and its locally processed products sold in Benin Citycontainaflatoxigenic molds like Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. Controlling this contaminationand strictly maintaining hygienic standards are therefore necessary.