You might have heard about mold and mycotoxins in coffee. Looking beyond the headlines designed to alarm, here are the facts:
Mycotoxins occur naturally and are produced by certain molds. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced from certain Aspergillus and Penicillium species of mold, and mycotoxins such as OTA can appear in various foods, including coffee, when improperly stored in humid environments, but many steps are taken by U.S. coffee companies to make sure your coffee is safe, which is why any health risk is minute.
The average adult would need to drink 410,000 servings (7 grams of coffee per serving) in a sitting to get a lethal dose of OTA. And you would need to consume 3,000 servings (7 grams of coffee per serving) per day to be at risk from repeated OTA exposures. In other words, in the rare case when there is OTA in coffee, know that the exposure from drinking coffee is negligible.
To keep your coffee at home under the best conditions, use an opaque, airtight container and keep your coffee in a dark and cool location. Learn more about coffee storage and shelf life.
Relevant Research
- ToxStrategies, LLC. (2020, November 11). Health risks of Ochratoxin A in coffee. [Technical report prepared for the National Coffee Association of USA, Inc.]
- Heintz MM, Doepker CL, Wikoff DS, Hawks SE. Assessing the food safety risk of ochratoxin A in coffee: A toxicology-based approach to food safety planning. J Food Sci. 2021 Nov;86(11):4799-4810. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.15938. Epub 2021 Oct 12. PMID: 34642959.
- Mitchell NJ, Chen C, Palumbo JD, Bianchini A, Cappozzo J, Stratton J, Ryu D, Wu F. A risk assessment of dietary Ochratoxin a in the United States. Food Chem Toxicol. 2017 Feb;100:265-273. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2016.12.037. Epub 2016 Dec 30. PMID: 28041933; PMCID: PMC5292207.
All information presented is general and not intended as a substitute for individualized healthcare or advice. Please consult your healthcare provider about your personal health.
