Grapes derived products, especially dried vine fruits (raisins, sultanas,
currants), are very often used in human nutrition, and along with wine, are
of significant economic importance in Mediterranean countries, especially in
Spain, Greece, Turkey and Italy. The diversity of climate in the areas where
grape is grown, indicate that moulds, potential producers of ochratoxin A
(OTA), are ubiquitously distributed. Considering this fact, OTA itself is
commonly isolated from these products. Great efforts are taken to eliminate
ochratoxigenic moulds and preform detoxification of the products, but
efficient methods have not been found so far. Because of that, the inhibition
of mould growth is of great importance. It is well known that the
ecophysiological factors highly influence the presence of toxigenic moulds in
different food products, including production of OTA. The aim of this work
was therefore to summarize results obtained so far on the presence of OTA in
dried vine fruit, and to outline the influence of ecophysiological factors on
mould and OTA presence in this commodity.