OCHRATOXIN A EVALUATION IN Theobroma cacao L. "WHITE COCOA" DURING THE HARVESTING PROCESS, FERMENTED, DRIED AND STORED

Abstract

The presence of ochratoxinA(OTA), a mycotoxin with carcinogenic properties, was analyzed in the white cocoa of Piura. Samples were collected in four stages of grain production: harvest, fermented, dried and stored. The analysis was done both on the grain shell and on the cotyledon. The samples were collected from the collection center of the Association of Small Producers of Cocoa Piura (APPROCAP). OTA was extracted from the samples using 1% sodium bicarbonate, purified by immunoaffinity columns and then quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A detectable concentration of OTA (1.92 ± 0.02 μg / kg) was found in the fermentation stage. The harvest, drying and storage stages in the cocoa grain production process did not show OTA.