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Review
. 2024 Aug 20;10(8):590.
doi: 10.3390/jof10080590.

Reduction in Ochratoxin A Occurrence in Coffee: From Good Practices to Biocontrol Agents

Claudia López-Rodríguez  1   2 , Carol Verheecke-Vaessen  1 , Caroline Strub  2 , Angélique Fontana  2 , Sabine Schorr-Galindo  2 , Angel Medina  1
Affiliations
Review

Reduction in Ochratoxin A Occurrence in Coffee: From Good Practices to Biocontrol Agents

Claudia López-Rodríguez et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin mainly produced by Aspergillus section Circumdati and section Nigri across the coffee chain. OTA is nephrotoxic and is a threat to human health. This review summarizes current knowledge on how to reduce OTA concentration in coffee from farm to cup. After a brief introduction to the OTA occurrence in coffee, current good management practices are introduced. The core of this review focuses on biocontrol and microbial decontamination by lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and fungi, and their associated enzymes currently reported in the literature. Special attention is given to publications closest to in vivo applications of biocontrol agents and microbial OTA adsorption or degradation agents. Finally, this review provides an opinion on which future techniques to promote within the coffee supply chain.

Keywords: biocontrol; biodegradation; detoxification; lactic acid bacteria; ochratoxin A; post-harvest management; toxigenic fungi; yeasts.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Images of the different steps of the dry and wet processes. Photos provided by CIRAD.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Time course of ochratoxin A formation in relation to proposed mitigation strategies in coffee during pre-harvest, drying, and post-harvest (adapted from Pitt et al., 2013) [9]. M.c.: moisture content; GAP: good agricultural practices; BCA: biocontrol agent.
Figure 2
Figure 2
OTA adsorption and degradation mechanisms of LAB and yeasts found in coffee. Created in Biorender.com. M = membrane; PG = peptidoglycan; PS = polysaccharides; NAG = N-acetyl glucosamine; NAM = N-acetyl muramic acid; LTA = lipoteichoic acids; TA = teichoic acids; CWP = cell wall protein; PT = peptide transporter; IP = intracellular peptidase; MP = mannoproteins; GLN = glucan; OM-SC = mannan oligosaccharides.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Some Naturally Occurring Substances: Food Items and Constituents, Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines and Mycotoxins. IARC; Lyon, France: 1993. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 56.
    1. European-Commission Commission Regulation (EC) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on Maximum Levels for Certain Contaminants in Food and Repealing Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006. J. Eur. Union. 2023;119:103–157.

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