Open AccessEvaluation of fungal contamination and ochratoxin A detection in different types of coffee by HPLC‐based method
Author(s) -
Pakshir Keyvan,
Dehghani Andishe,
Nouraei Hasti,
Zareshahrabadi Zahra,
Zomorodian Kamiar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.24001
Subject(s) - ochratoxin a , mycotoxin , contamination , ochratoxin , green coffee , aspergillus , food science , ochratoxins , chemistry , food contaminant , biology , botany , ecology
Background Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites that are produced by some toxigenic fungi on foodstuffs which are poisoning and potentiate for human's health hazards. In coffee samples, ochratoxin A and fungal contamination were examined. Methods Immunoaffinity columns were used for treating of all 50 samples from four types of coffee, after that high‐performance liquid chromatography was used for determining the amount of ochratoxin. For the identification of fungi, all coffee samples were cultured in appropriated media. Results The results showed that all samples were contaminated by ochratoxin A but only up to 50% of them had toxins higher than acceptable level as detected in black beans (47%), green beans (33.3%), torch (33.3%), and espresso (25%). Black coffee had a higher mean concentration of ochratoxin A than green coffee. Conclusion Predominant fungi isolated from coffee samples were Aspergillus species. Finally, careful monitoring of mycotoxins in coffee samples is essential to improve the quality of this favorable beverage in future.