Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in Brazilian cocoa beans

In the present work studied the occurrence of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in dried beans from southern Bahia (Brazil) harvested in two periods of the year (early crop and harvest seasons) then fermented and dried under the sun. Nearly 92.5% of the cocoa samples presented OTA levels below the limits suggested by the European Community (2 μg/kg). The highest toxin content was found in fine and flavour cocoa beans harvested in the early crop. Ochratoxigenic species of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium were isolated from the cocoa beans. Both harvesting time and production model influenced OTA content in cocoa. These results show that, according to the current world standards for Ochratoxin A levels, beans from southern Bahia give a good quality cocoa.