High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Determination of Ochratoxin A in Cocoa Powder

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a potent nephrotoxin that can affect human health through their diet. Cereals and coffee represent, by far, the main contributors to OTA exposure, but recently other food commodities like wine, raisins, and cocoa products have been found to be additional sources of intake for consumers. Ochratoxin A contamination in cocoa derived products presents an emerging risk for consumer. Recently, both monitoring programs and research have been aimed at ascertaining the status of contamination worldwide, and critical control points in cocoa processing. At the moment, all studies confirmed that cocoa can result in contamination quite frequently, and at levels worthy of interest. This paper describes a study to carry out a method of analysis for the determination of OTA in cocoa derived products. Performance characteristics of the method, as within‐day and between‐day repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy are described, showing reliable results adequately matching the criteria suggested by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) for the analysis of mycotoxins. The advantages resulting from this method are mainly addressed to the saving of time of analysis, and the possibility to detect ng/kg levels of ochratoxin A without interfering peaks, representing, therefore, a useful tool for the control of foodstuffs, in accordance with the upcoming communitary legislation.

Keywords:

• Cocoa
• Ochratoxin A
• Mycotoxins

Acknowledgments