Coffee and Mold

Your morning coffee might be carrying more than caffeine. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium molds. It contaminates coffee beans during growing, harvesting, and storage, and here’s the part most people don’t know: roasting does not fully eliminate it. A worldwide systematic review of over 3,000 coffee samples found OTA present in more than half of them globally (Pubmed Reference 39259858). At elevated levels OTA has been linked to: • Kidney damage and chron