Prevention of ochratoxin A in commodities and likely effects of processing fractionation and animal feeds.

Whenever possible, preventing the formation of ochratoxin A (OTA) in susceptible food commodities such as cereals, grapes and coffee beans should be the primary aim. Each product tends to host a specific OTA-producing mould so that the environmental conditions and factors that encourage the subsequent formation of OTA need to be understood. Codes of Practice for prevention and management of OTA are being developed and can be used in conjunction with a HACCP approach to protect the end consumer, in line with EU statutory limits. If prevention fails, an understanding of how concentrations change during the whole food chain may be useful in minimizing the concentrations reaching the consumer. OTA is quite heat stable under neutral conditions but may be partly broken down, e.g. in extrusion processing. In milling or other separation procedures, OTA will be concentrated or reduced in the resulting components. By-products such as 'cleanings' or bran may contain high concentrations and are often used for animal feed. Introduction of guideline or statutory maximum concentrations for feed within the EU makes it essential that concentrations of ochratoxin A in such by-products are acceptable. This paper reviews recent literature and findings from recent 5th Framework EU-funded projects.