The present study evaluated the inhibitory effect of the fungus Aspergillus niger var. niger EcoCentro 1181T-01 (inhibitor) and its filtrate on the growth of an Aspergillus isolate of the section Circumdati and ochratoxin A (OTA) production. An atoxigenic isolate of the inhibitor fungus screened as possible antagonist for toxigenic species of the genus Aspergillus, section Circumdati,showed a positive inhibitory effect upon mycelial growth velocity indices comparing with the isolates tested. The antagonistic action of the inhibitor fungus associated with coffee beans may be one of the factors responsible for the reduced levels of OTA detected in the samples analyzed.
Coffee beans; quality; ochratoxin A; Aspergillus ochraceus
