Occurrence of Ochratoxin A–Producing Fungi in Raw Brazilian Coffee

2001 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
pp. 1226-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. URBANO ◽  
M. H. TANIWAKI ◽  
M. F. de F. LEITÃO ◽  
M. C. VICENTINI

Ochratoxin A (OA)–producing fungi were identified in coffee at different stages of maturation. The toxin was quantified in coffee during terrace drying and in coffee stored in barns. By direct plating, a high level of contamination (100%) was found in the coffee beans studied, with the genus Aspergillus representing 33.2%, of which Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus niger represented 10.3 and 22.9%, respectively, of the strains isolated from the coffee beans. The capacity to produce ochratoxin was determined in 155 strains of A. ochraceus and A. niger using both the agar plug method and extraction with chloroform, giving positive results for 88.1% of the A. ochraceus strains and 11.5% of the A. niger strains. Analysis for OA in the terrace and barn coffee samples showed that, independent of cultivar, year harvested, or production region, all except one of the samples analyzed showed mycotoxin levels below the limit suggested by the European Common Market (8 μg/kg), thus indicating that the problem is restricted and due to severe faults in harvesting and storage practices.

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pardo ◽  
S. Marin ◽  
A. J. Ramos ◽  
V. Sanchis

Fungal infection and ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination were determined in green coffee samples from different origins, in which OTA-producing fungi were also identified. About 72% of the beans analysed by direct plating presented fungal infection, including species of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus. The genus Aspergillus was presented in more than 90% of infected coffee beans. Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus section Nigri isolates represented 2.8 and 65.4%, respectively from the total number of isolates from the coffee beans. The capacity to produce OTA was determined in 260 isolates of A. section Nigri and 19 of A. ochraceus by the agar plug method, giving positive results for 6% of the A. section Nigri isolates and 16% of the A. ochraceus. OTA production was analysed by high performance liquid chromatography. OTA contamination of green coffee beans was analysed by enzyme immunoassay. OTA levels in all samples analysed were above the limit of detection (0.6 mg/kg), with a mean OTA concentration of 6.7 mg/kg.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 985-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Helena Pelegrinelli Fungaro ◽  
Marciane Magnani ◽  
Laurival Antônio Vilas-Boas ◽  
Patrícia Cristina Vissotto ◽  
Márcia Cristina Furlaneto ◽  
...  

Ochratoxin A (OA) is a mycotoxin that has been found in coffee beans and coffee beverages. Its toxicological profile includes carcinogenicity, nephrotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. Aspergillus ochraceus is the major species responsible for OA production in Brazilian coffee beans. The genetic relationships among 25 A. ochraceus strains collected from Brazilian coffee-bean samples were determined based on RAPD and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence data. The isolates were resolved into 2 distinct groups, one with 4 strains (group A) and the other with 21 strains (group B). Specific nucleotide variations characterizing group A and B were found for both ITS1 and ITS2 regions. Group B is a new group proposed here to accommodate the majority of the Brazilian isolates. Each group was found to contain both toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains, indicating that there is no association between molecular genotypes and the ability to produce OA.Key words: Aspergillus ochraceus, ochratoxin A, ITS region (ITS1–5.8S–ITS2), RAPD.


2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia M Mata ◽  
Marta H Taniwaki ◽  
Beatriz T Iamanaka ◽  
Daniele Sartori ◽  
André L.M Oliveira ◽  
...  

Aspergillus westerdijkiae is a potent ochratoxin A (OTA) producer that has been found in coffee beans. OTA is known to have nephrotoxic effects and carcinogenic potential in animal species. Here we report for the first time the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation for Aspergillus westerdijkiae and the generation of ochratoxin-defective mutants. Conidia were transformed to hygromycin B resistance using strain AGL-1 of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The obtained transformation frequency was up to 47 transformants per 106 target conidia. Among 600 transformants, approximately 5% showed morphological variations. Eight transformants with consistently reduced OTA production were obtained. Two of these transformants did not produce OTA (detection limit: 0.1 µg/kg); the other six mutants produced lower amounts of OTA (1%–32%) compared with the wild-type strain. By using thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction, we successfully identified a putative flavin adenine dinucleotide monooxygenase gene.Key words: Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus westerdijkiae, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, Agrobacterium-mediated insertional mutagenesis, ochratoxin A.


1983 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 965-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL E. STACK ◽  
PHILIP B. MISLIVEC ◽  
TURGUT DENIZEL ◽  
REGINA GIBSON ◽  
ALBERT E. POHLAND

Isolates from Aspergillus ochraceus obtained from green coffee beans were cultured on rice and water. After 20 d of growth the cultures were extracted with chloroform and the extracts were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography for ochratoxin A (OA), ochratoxin B (OB), xanthomegnin (X), viomellein (V) and vioxanthin (VX). Forty-three percent of the isolates produced OA at an average level of 397 μg of toxin/g rice, 17% produced OB at an average level of 312 μg/g, and 84% produced X, V, and VX at an average level of 281, 417 and 386 μg/g, respectively. The highest levels of toxin production were OA, 2088 μg/g; OB, 3375 μg/g; X, 1562 μg/g; V, 2514 μg/g; and VX, 2054 μg/g. VX has not previously been reported as an A. ochraceus metabolite.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 863-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Akbar ◽  
A. Medina ◽  
N. Magan

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of interacting climate change (CC) factors (water stress [water activity, aw; 0.99-0.90]); temperature [30, 35 °C]; and elevated CO2 [400 and 1000 ppm] on (1) lag phases prior to growth, (2) growth and (3) ochratoxin A (OTA) production by species of Aspergillus sections Circumdati and Nigri on coffee-based media and stored coffee beans. The lag phases, prior to growth, of all strains/species were slightly increased as aw, temperature and CO2 were modified. The interacting CC factors showed that most strains/species examined grew well at 30 °C and slightly less so at 35 °C except for Aspergillus niger (A 1911) which could tolerate the higher temperature. In addition, the interaction of elevated CO2 (1000 ppm) + temperature (35 °C) increased OTA production when compared with 30 °C but only for strains of Aspergillus westerdijkiae (B2), Aspergillus ochraceus (ITAL 14) and Aspergillus steynii (CBS 112814). Most of the strains had optimum growth at 0.95 aw at 35 °C, while at 30 °C the optimum was at 0.98 aw. On stored coffee beans there was only a significant stimulation of OTA production by A. westerdijkiae strains in elevated CO2 (1000) at 0.90 aw. These results suggest differential effects of CC factors on OTA production by species in the Sections Circumdati and Nigri in stored coffee and that for most species there is a reduction in toxin production.


1987 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruo Tsubouchi ◽  
Katsuhiko Yamamoto ◽  
Kazuo Hisada ◽  
Yoshio Sakabe ◽  
Shun- ichi Udagawa

Author(s):  
Yassmin M. Shebany ◽  
Youssuf A. Gherbawy ◽  
Shoroug N. Al-Garni

Fruits are one of the most important agricultural products that supply the body with vitamins and essential minerals elements, but it is contaminated by fungi during the period of growth, harvesting and storage. A. niger is one of the species that grows on the fruit during the period of storage, and secretes mycotoxins especially ochratoxin A. This study was conducted with the purpose of isolating  and identifying different strains of A. niger from 20 samples of pear collected from Taif markets and to determine the ability of these strains to produce OTA. It was observed that showed that out of 20 pear samples collected, 19 samples were detected to be contaminated with different strains of A. niger and the strains were able to produce OTA. From 27 isolates of A. niger which was  used to test the ability of production OTA, 10 strains only produced OTA. The range of OTA in all strains were 0.18 to 9.5 ppb. Representative 27 strains of ochratoxigenic and non ochratoxigenic black Aspergilli isolated were subjected for detection of ochratoxin biosynthesis genes, by using  two sets of primer for two genes involved in ochratoxin biosynthetic pathway. Bands of the fragments of PKS15C-MeT and PKS15KS genes visualized at 998 and 776 bp, respectively. Whereas, the presence of four tested genes is not sufficient marker for differentatin between aflatoxigenic and non aflatoxigenic isolates.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Astoreca ◽  
C. Barberis ◽  
C. Magnoli ◽  
A. Dalcero

The effect of water activity (aW), temperature and their interactions on lag phase, mycelial growth rate and ochratoxin A (OTA) production at 7, 14 and 21 days of incubation of two OTA-producer strains belonging to Aspergillus niger group on irradiated coffee beans was determined. Irradiated coffee beans were re-hydrated to 0.910-0.995 of aW with sterile distilled water. The temperatures assayed were 15, 25 and 30 °C. Growth assessment was measured every day during the incubation period to calculate the growth rate. OTA production was examined at 7, 14 and 21 days by high-performance liquid chromatography. Optimal aW for growth was 0.995 at 25 °C for RCC4 and RCC20 strains, being 1.10 and 2.36 mm/day, respectively. OTA concentration varied considerably depending on aW, temperature and incubation time assayed. Maximum OTA production was obtained at 0.973 and 0.995 aW at 30 °C for both strains. The results of the present work indicate that knowledge of the optimal and marginal conditions of black Aspergillus growth and OTA production allow methods to be established for preventing the development of these fungal and mycotoxin production on coffee beans. The data obtained provide useful information for predicting the risk factors for OTA contamination on coffee beans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1462
Author(s):  
Asya Akbar ◽  
Angel Medina ◽  
Naresh Magan

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of treatment of Arabica green coffee beans with gaseous ozone (O3) for the control of ochratoxigenic fungi and ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination by Aspergillus westerdijkiae, A. ochraceus, and A. carbonarius during storage. Studies included (i) relative control of the populations of each of these three species when inoculated on irradiated green coffee beans of different initial water availabilities using 400 and 600 ppm gaseous O3 treatment for 60 min at a flow rate of 6 L−1 and on OTA contamination after 12 days storage at 30 °C and (ii) effect of 600 ppm O3 treatment on natural populations of green stored coffee beans at 0.75, 0.90, and 0.95 water activity (aw) or with additional inoculum of a mixture of these three ochratoxigenic fungi after treatment and storage for 12 days at 30 °C on fungal populations and OTA contamination. Exposure to 400 and 600 ppm O3 of coffee beans inoculated with the toxigenic species showed that there was less effect on fungal populations at the lowered aw (0.75). However, toxigenic fungal populations significantly increased 48 h after exposure and when stored at 0.90 and 0.95 aw for 12 days. All three species produced high amounts of OTA in both O3 treatments of the wetter coffee beans at 0.90 and 0.95 aw. Gaseous O3 (600 ppm) treatment of naturally contaminated green coffee beans had little effect on fungal populations after treatment, regardless of the initial aw level. However, after storage, there was some reduction (26%) observed in coffee at 0.95 aw. In addition, no fungal populations or OTA contamination occurred in the 0.75 and 0.90 aw treatments after exposure to 600 ppm gaseous O3 and storage for 12 days. It appears that under wetter conditions (≥0.90–95 aw) it is unlikely that fungal populations and OTA contamination of stored coffee beans, even with such high O3 concentrations would be controlled. The results are discussed in the context of potential application of O3 as an intervention system for stored coffee post-fermentation and during medium term storage and transport.


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