Bacillus licheniformis M2-7 Decreases Ochratoxin A Concentrations in Coffee Beans During Storage

• Published in: Current microbiology Vol. 81; no. 2; p. 62
• Main Authors: Rojas-Pablo, María, Toledo-Hernández, Erubiel, Rodríguez-Barrera, Miguel A., Toribio-Jiménez, Jeiry, Torreblanca-Ramírez, Carmina, Rosas-Guerrero, Víctor Manuel, Salgado-Souto, Sergio Adrián, Álvarez-Fitz, Patricia, Bolaños-Dircio, Alejandro, Romero-Ramírez, Yanet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-02-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antagonism; Bacillus licheniformis; Bacteria; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Coffea - microbiology; Coffea arabica; Coffee; Food Contamination - analysis; Fungi; Health risks; Inoculation; Life Sciences; Microbial contamination; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mycotoxins; Ochratoxin A; Ochratoxins; Toxins
• ISSN: 0343-8651; 1432-0991
• DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03575-8

Microbial contamination of coffee beans arises from various factors such as harvesting, handling, and storage practices, during which ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing fungi develop and proliferate. The presence of elevated concentrations of OTA poses a serious health risk to coffee consumers. Therefore, the implementation of a post-harvest treatment involving the use of bacteria known to antagonize OTA-producing fungi constitutes a safe alternative for reducing or eliminating the toxin’s concentration in coffee beans. In this study, coffee beans (
Coffea arabica
L.) were inoculated with
Bacillus licheniformis
M2-7, after which we monitored fungal growth, in vitro antagonism, and OTA concentration. Our findings demonstrated that coffee beans inoculated with this bacterial strain exhibited a significant decrease in fungal populations belonging to the genera
Aspergillus
and
Penicillium
, which are known to produce OTA. Moreover, strain M2-7 decreased the growth rates of these fungi from 67.8% to 95.5% (
P
 < 0.05). Similarly, inoculation with
B. licheniformis
strain M2-7 effectively reduced the OTA concentration from 24.35 ± 1.61 to 5.52 ± 1.69 µg/kg (
P
 < 0.05) in stored coffee beans. These findings suggest that
B. licheniformis
M2-7 holds promise as a potential post-harvest treatment for coffee beans in storage, as it effectively inhibits the proliferation of OTA-producing fungi and lowers the toxin’s concentration.