Abstract:
Coffee when contaminated with moulds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium species due to poor processing and storage can produce mycotoxins such as Ochratoxin A (OTA) associated to many health hazards to consumers. The aim of this research was to determine the levels of moulds and Ochratoxin A in coffee processed by dry and wet methods. The coffee samples were collected from Estates and Factories located in the main coffee processing zone in Nyeri County, Kenya. The parameters determined in the green beans were; moisture content, levels of moulds and OTA contamination. The moisture content of coffee samples were determined by dry oven method, OTA levels by use of HPLC and moulds enumeration by serial dilution technique. The results showed no significant difference on the level of moisture content in the coffee samples from Estates and Factories. Ochratoxin A was not detected in all coffee samples. Mould counts of coffee samples from Factories and Estates were found to be between 1 × 103CFU/ml to 6.0 × 101 CFU/ml. The highest mould contamination was observed in dry processed coffee as compared to wet processed coffee. Although few samples showed mould contamination, there were no OTA detected in the samples.
