Predicting Aflatoxin M₁ in Raw Milk Using Machine Learning and Basic Measurements
Date
Authors
Ding, Haohan
Wang, Long
Song, Xiaodong
Cui, Xiaohui
Wilson, David I
Yu, Wei
Zhang, Cheng
Dong, Guanjun
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) is a carcinogenic and teratogenic mycotoxin that may be present in raw milk. Therefore, continuous monitoring of AFM₁ levels is essential to ensure dairy safety and regulatory compliance. Although laboratory-based analytical techniques such as ELISA and LC-MS/MS offer high accuracy, their cost, sample preparation requirements, and dependence on specialized personnel make them less practical for high-frequency or large-volume screening in dairy processing facilities. This creates a need for complementary, cost-effective prescreening approaches. This study proposed a qualitative AFM₁ prediction method based on routinely measured physicochemical indicators of raw milk, combined with machine learning algorithms. Five classical machine learning models were evaluated under a binary classification framework to determine whether AFM₁ levels exceed the regulatory threshold. Experimental results show that the multilayer perceptron achieves an accuracy and negative-sample recall rate above 80%, demonstrating the potential of machine learning as an effective prescreening tool for AFM₁. The findings provide a feasible direction for supporting rapid, economical, and large-scale monitoring of raw milk safety.Description
Keywords
Aflatoxin M₁, Machine learning, Prediction model, Raw milk, 30 Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences, 3006 Food Sciences, Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD), Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Bioengineering, 3006 Food sciences
Source
Current Research in Food Science, ISSN: 2665-9271 (Print); 2665-9271 (Online), Elsevier, 12, 101353-. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2026.101353
Publisher's version
Rights statement
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Note: This article is available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license and permits non-commercial use of the work as published, without adaptation or alteration provided the work is fully attributed.