Mycotoxin, My Condolences

Article Summary:

Coffee is safe to drink and not a meaningful source of mycotoxins. While molds can occur in agricultural products, roasting significantly reduces ochratoxin A (OTA) to levels well below global safety standards. Industry-wide efforts led by the ICO and UN since 2001 have further minimized OTA presence in coffee. Consumers can reduce risk by sourcing from trusted suppliers, choosing high-quality specialty or organic coffees, and avoiding low-grade decaf. Royal Coffee upholds strict quality control through moisture and water activity testing, multiple cuppings, and transparent sourcing standards to ensure clean, specialty-grade coffee free from contamination.

Preamble/Author’s note:

A lifetime ago, in 2016, my second major contribution to the Royal blog was a two–part series on Molds, Mycotoxins, and Coffee, with a postscript of minor corrections added later. We’ve been sending it to customers inquiring about the topic ever since. There’s not a lot of new material to speak about on the subject, but it keeps coming back up, so here we are, back in your feed.

We’re not in the business of telling you what to do with your personal health; that choice is up to you, your doctor, and your family. That said, we take seriously our role as an ethical importer of coffee and stand behind the product we sell. 

It makes me a special kind of crazy to see misinformation circulated as fact. There’s a circle in Dante’s inferno (probably somewhere in Lvl. 3 Greed or Lvl. 8 Fraud) reserved for grifters, those banking on the fears and concerns of deliberately mistaken public to make a buck. In an age of unprecedented data manipulation and fearmongering, I’m compelled to speak up, even if the topic is as innocuous as the safety of drinking a cup of coffee.

Don’t abandon hope. 

*** 

Let’s keep it brief and start with some definitions: 

Mycotoxin = a poisonous metabolite byproduct of mold/fungi  

Ochratoxin A (OTA) = a specific mycotoxin known to cause kidney failure, found in commercially available agricultural products worldwide 

Is my coffee toxic? 

“No” is the definitive and short answer. 

The hyperlink above takes you to an extensive and thorough Journal of Food Science peer-reviewed study which can be succinctly summarized in the following quote: 

“No evidence was identified to suggest that OTA is acutely toxic in humans from consumption of coffee or other exposure sources.” 

Even when detectible and identifiable levels of OTA occur, roasting reduces their concentration substantially, well below established limits across a broad range of internationally recognized standards. 

It’s possible that if you’re an incredibly sensitive person to mold toxin, the infinitesimally small amount of OTA in some coffee might affect you. (If that’s the case, I’ve got an unfortunately very long list of problematic agriculture you should avoid wholesale, including grains, wines, and fruit, all of which regularly test positive with higher percentages and concentrations than coffee). 

Practically anything can be toxic if you consume too much of it or aren’t careful. A little bit of caution, awareness, and moderation are warranted when choosing your coffee and will help protect you from contaminated beans. It’s true that some coffee is exposed to mold, and some of those molds produce mycotoxins. That’s a problem, with a known solution: careful handling, processing, and storage. 

In 2001, the International Coffee Organization, in conjunction with the UN, and the Food and Agricultural Organization launched a 6.5 million dollar program to improve practices worldwide specifically related to reduction of OTA in coffee production, and as of 2006, more than 30 nations had adopted the recommended practices. Levels of mycotoxin in commercial coffee have plummeted in the last two decades.  

What’s the best way to avoid OTA in coffee? 

There are a number of excellent and easy ways to reduce your risk of exposure if you’re concerned about your OTA intake.  

1. Buy from trusted sources. “Know your supplier” is a commonly repeated refrain for good reason. When you establish trust in a commercial relationship, there’s a degree of transparency in practices that transcends a paper report or email exchange. Reliable sources of coffee will readily explain the practices they undertake to minimize risk. 
2. Buy good coffee. Specialty quality coffees are insulated by nature of the care in which they are handled from start to finish, prizing meticulous processing and sorting and, above all, flavor. Moldy coffee tastes like mold. Cuppers train for, and reject, moldy specialty coffee. Studies have shown that Robusta tends to have a higher percentage of positive test results and higher concentrations of OTA than Arabica. 
3. Buy organic and caffeinated. Statistically organic coffee has lower positive testing returns than conventional and decaf. There’s a possible chicken/egg scenario here – organic farmers generally hold to a higher standard and the care with which they treat coffee may impart more safety guardrails than their non-synthetic-chemical practices. Decaf coffee is often selected from lower quality beans to begin with, and the process of decaffeination rehydrates the beans, exposing them to an additional risky environment. 

What does Royal Coffee do to reduce OTA exposure? 

This section will mirror the answers to the previous questions, and explain how we work to ensure our coffee is safe. 

1. We’re thorough, follow best practices, and keep open books. We test moisture and water activity levels at multiple stages in a coffee’s journey from origin to our warehouse, and reject out-of-spec coffee. Ask us for the details. We expect the same of our suppliers.  
2. We cup every coffee multiple times for quality and consistency. There’s a high degree of confidence on our end that specialty grade coffees with good drying and QC processes nearly eliminate any risk of mycotoxin. 
3. We carry an extensive catalogue of certified organic coffees. Many of our beans come with additional certificates, and even those which don’t often employ practices that would qualify.