title: Influence of fermentation and drying materials on the contamination of cocoa beans by ochratoxin A.
abstract: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced mainly by species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. Contamination of food with OTA is a major consumer health hazard. In Cote D'Ivoire, preventing OTA contamination has been the subject of extensive study. The current study was conducted to evaluate the influence of fermentation and drying materials on the OTA content in cocoa. For each test, 7000 intact cocoa pods were collected, split open to remove the beans, fermented using 1 of 3 different materials, sun-dried on 1 of 3 different platform types and stored for 30 days. A total of 22 samples were collected at each stage of post-harvesting operations. The OTA content in the extracted samples was then quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. OTA was detected in beans at all stages of post-harvesting operations at varying levels: pod-opening (0.025 ± 0.02 mg/kg), fermentation (0.275 ± 0.2 mg/kg), drying (0.569 ± 0.015 mg/kg), and storage (0.558 ± 0.04 mg/kg). No significant relationships between the detected OTA level and the materials used in the fermentation and drying of cocoa were observed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, UFR Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, University Félix Houphouet Boigny, B.P.V. 34 Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire. mandapierre@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Sébastien Djédjé
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Dano
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Manda
authors.forename: Ardjourma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dembélé
authors.forename: Ange Marie-Joseph
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kouassi Abla
authors.forename: Joel Henri
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bibaud
authors.forename: Julien Zroh
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Gouet
authors.forename: Charles Bruno
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Ze Maria Sika
mesh_terms: D002099:Cacao; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D003890:Desiccation; D005285:Fermentation; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009793:Ochratoxins; C025589:ochratoxin A