Abstract Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is one of the mycotoxins found in milk and dairy products and is classified as a Group I carcinogen. In this study, samples of doogh (60), kefir (30), and kashk (20) were collected from Hamedan, Iran, and examined for AFM1 contamination using the ELISA method. Ninety-two (83.64%) out of 110 samples were positive for AFM1, with the highest amount of contamination in kashk (90%) and the lowest amount of contamination in kefir (73.33%). The level of AFM1 in four (3.64%) of the samples (3 samples of doogh and 1 sample of kashk) was higher than in the European Union (0.05 µg/kg). However, all samples had AFM1 lower than Iran's allowable limit, i.e., 0.1 µg/kg. Due to the low mean level of contamination in samples compared with the allowable limit, there is no concern for human health. However, it is necessary to monitor these products to decrease AFM1 incidence.

Abstract The intake levels of sugar and fats, including unsaturated fatty acids (USFs), trans-fatty acids (TFAs), and saturated fatty acids (SFAs), should be monitored to prevent the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Cereal-based bakery products are one of the significant sources of dietary fat and sugar intake throughout the world. This study evaluates the trend of fat and sugar in Iranian bakery products, focusing on saturated and TFAs and their implication for public health. In this regard, 132 industrial and traditional cereal-based-backed products were randomly collected from the Tehran market. The total fat, SFAs, TFAs, unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), and sugar of each bakery product were determined. The fatty acid compositions of these products were evaluated according to the direct methylation method. Our results indicated that total fat in Iranian bakery products ranged from 8.99±2.95% (sponge cake) to 24.92±7.86% (puffed product). Total sugar varied from 11.12±1.89% (pirashki) to 30.38±13.11% (funnel pastry). Among fifteen different types of bakery products, the highest TFAs and UFAs levels were detected in simple biscuits (0.52±0.50%) and (17.20±8.71%), respectively. The present study indicated that bakery products' sugar and fat content as risk factors of non-communicable diseases was not higher than those of other countries.

Abstract Bioactive peptides are digestion-resistant and absorbable peptides released from dietary parent proteins. Dietary epitopes exert their effects on the body without absorption and release from parent protein. In this study, the epitope content of milk proteins was discovered, and a new definition for BPs is provided alongside the classic definition. In this study, LBtope, ABCpred, and SVMTriP servers were used to find Linear B cell epitopes. Besides, to predict T cell epitopes, the major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) and MHC-II alleles that were more abundant among Iranian people were first found from the Allele Frequency Net Database (AFND). Consequently, the IEDB, RANKPEP, SYFPEITHI, EpiJen, and EpiTOP3 servers were used for MHC binding epitopes. In the current study, MHC-II, MHC-I, and B-cell epitopes of milk proteins were discovered. The most important B-cell epitopes discovered by LBtope, ABCpred, and SVMtrip databases for αS1-casein included APSFSDIPNPIGSEN (176-190), AESISSSEEIVPNSVE (62-77), and VFGKEKVNELSKDIGS (31-46). The high rank of αS1-casein derived from MHC-II epitopes and discovered from the SYFPEITHI database included KEKVNELSKDIGSES (34-48), RFFVAPFPEVFGKEK (22-36), and PELFRQFYQLDAYPS (147-161). The epitopes of dietary proteins and endogenous proteins could be considered as BPs. Epitopes exert their biological effects without absorption and release from parent proteins.