Effect of Robusta (Coffea canephora P.) coffee cherries quantity put out for sun drying on contamination by fungi and Ochratoxin A (OTA) under tropical humid zone (Côte d‘Ivoire)

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 1969 - 1979
• Main Authors: Kouadio, Irène Ahou, Koffi, Louis Ban, Nemlin, Jean Gnopo, Dosso, Mireille Bretin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: acidification; Aspergillus; Bacteriology; beans; Biological and medical sciences; caffeine; Cherries; chlorogenic acid; Coffea; Coffea - chemistry; Coffea - microbiology; Coffea canephora; Coffee; coffee beans; Coffee cherries; Contamination; Cote d'Ivoire; Desiccation; Drying; Food Contamination; Food Handling; Food Handling - methods; Fungi; Fungi - growth & development; Humidity; Life Sciences; Measuring instruments; Medical sciences; Meters; microbial growth; Microbiology and Parasitology; Ochratoxin A; Ochratoxins; Ochratoxins - chemistry; Ochratoxins - toxicity; Plant poisons toxicology; Prunus; solar drying; Sun; Toxicology; Toxigenic; Tropical Climate; Cote d'Ivoire; Côte d'Ivoire; West Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa; Fungi; Aspergillus; Toxigenic; Coffee cherries; Ochratoxin A; Ochratoxin; Coffea canephora; Cherry; Tropical zone; Mycotoxin; Perennial plant; Stimulant plant; Coffee; Temperate zone; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Rubiaceae; Fungi Imperfecti; Stone fruit; Tropical crop; Quantity; Sun; Contamination; Toxin; Spermatophyta; Drying
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2012.03.042

► The overload of the cherries on the drying area led to the slowness of the drying. ► The slowness of the drying led to the increasing of fungal development in cherries. ► The slowness of the drying led to the increasing of OTA production in cherries. ► The slowness of the drying led to the acidification of coffee cherries. The effect of coffee cherries quantity put out for sun drying on the kinetics of the drying, chemical components variation, fungal growth and ochratoxin A production was evaluated. The results showed that the more coffee cherries quantity on the drying area was important, the slower they dried. Indeed, the drying durations were 12, 17, 21, 26, 31 and 32days respectively for the lots of 10kg, 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 50kg and 60kg of cherries by square meter of drying area. The slowness of the drying led to the increasing of fungal development and ochratoxin A production in the cherries. Indeed, samples more contaminated were those from the lots of 50kg and 60kg of cherries by square meter of drying area with between 10% and 100% of infected beans and with levels of ochratoxin A ranging from 0.92 to 118.47 and 1.4 to 131.33μgkg−1 respectively. The slowness of the drying led also to the acidification of the cherries (pH=5.55–4.54) and the degradation of their chlorogenic acids content (13.03–11.69) while for their caffeine content (2.52–2.54), any significant difference was observed whatever the drying duration.