Assessment of ochratoxin A exposure risk from the consumption of coffee beans in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

ABSTRACT

This survey aimed to determine OTA contamination in roasted coffee samples commercialised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and to assess the potential health risk from OTA exposure. Forty locally grown and imported coffee samples were collected and analysed. Analytical validation methods were fully performed. In 3 of 40 samples (7.5%), the results showed detectable levels of OTA, ranging from 0.19 to 1.12 µg kg⁻¹, with an overall average of 0.26 µg kg⁻¹ and an average over the LOQ (n = 3) at 0.81 µg kg⁻¹. OTA estimated daily intake (EDI) of both values were 0.05 (overall average) and 0.17 ng/kg bw/day (the worst-case scenario) with the calculated risk of OTA exposure expressed as a Hazard Quotient at 0.003 and 0.01, respectively. This result could imply a low health risk to Cambodian coffee consumers.

KEYWORDS:

• Roasted coffee beans
• mycotoxins
• ochratoxin A (OTA)
• risk assessment
• Cambodia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.