New examinations of mycotoxin carryover to cocoa beans.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites which can form on various foodstuffs through the growth of certain fungi. Ochratoxin A (OTA) and the aflatoxins B1 B2, G1 and G2 have been detected in low concentrations in cocoa and cocoa products. As regards the question of in what stages of the cocoa production process a contamination with the mycotoxin-producing moulds and the formation of mycotoxins takes place, it is assumed that in the case of cocoa the contamination is not concerning the individual beans but the fermentation units.