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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants 1056878 from CONACyT. Maria Rojas Pablo thanks CONACyT for PhD scholarships.

Funding

This work was supported by grants 1056878 from CONACyT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, C. P. 39070, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico

    María Rojas-Pablo, Erubiel Toledo-Hernández, Miguel A. Rodríguez-Barrera, Jeiry Toribio-Jiménez, Alejandro Bolaños-Dircio & Yanet Romero-Ramírez

  2. Facultad de Ecología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

    Carmina Torreblanca-Ramírez

  3. Facultad en Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, C.P. 40900, Técpan de Galeana, Guerrero, Mexico

    Víctor Manuel Rosas-Guerrero

  4. Escuela Superior de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, C.P. 40323, Taxco el viejo, Guerrero, Mexico

    Sergio Adrián Salgado-Souto

  5. Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Laboratorio de Toxicología y Salud Ambiental, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, C. P. 39070, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico

    Patricia Álvarez-Fitz

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  1. María Rojas-Pablo
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Investigation and Methodology: MR-P, AB-D and PÁ-F, Data curation: ET-H, Formal Analysis: VMR-G, Supervision: CT-R and SAS-S. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MAR-B and JT-J and Writing—review and editing: YR-R.

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Correspondence to Yanet Romero-Ramírez.

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Rojas-Pablo, M., Toledo-Hernández, E., Rodríguez-Barrera, M.A. et al. Bacillus licheniformis M2-7 Decreases Ochratoxin A Concentrations in Coffee Beans During Storage. Curr Microbiol 81, 62 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03575-8

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