Ochratoxin A in instant coffee in Italy

The occurrence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in instant coffee from different brands and types was assessed. The survey covered 44 soluble coffees, 10 of which were decaffeinated, and 6 coffee products; the samples were collected in supermarkets and retail stores of Italy in 2011. The OTA was extracted, cleaned-up by immunoaffinity columns, and detected by HPLC-fluorescence detection. The detection and quantification limits were 0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively. Recovery, from samples spiked at levels of 0.5, 3.0, and 6.0 mg/kg, was 86.0 7.1%, 91.0 4.2%, and 91.7 5.9% respectively. Forty-eight samples (96%) contained OTA at levels ranging from 0.32 to 6.40 mg/kg, always below the European legal limit. The high frequency of OTA occurrence in the instant coffee samples demonstrates the importance of an effective control of this product by government authorities and industries.