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The aim of this study was to determine the degree of mold contamination and mycotoxin levels in commercially available green coffee products and dietary supplements with green coffee extract. The study included 34 samples from green coffee products: raw beans (n = 16), ground coffee (n = 15) and instant coffee (n = 3), as well as 22 samples from dietary supplements in form of capsules (n = 19), tablets (n = 2) and sachets (n = 1). Total mold count was determined with spread-plate method. Anamorphic mold were identified based on their microscopic morphology and the type of sporulation. Concentrations of mycotoxins, ochratoxin A and citrinin, were quantified by means of HPLC-fluorescence detection. Molds, typically Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp., were found in 94% of green coffee beans, 100% of ground and instant coffee samples, and 55% of dietary supplement samples. None of the samples contained detectable levels of citrinin. Ochratoxin A (0.4 ng/g) was detected in only one sample of raw green coffee beans, but in up to 40% and 67% of ground and instant coffee samples, respectively. Mean concentrations of ochratoxin A in ground and instant coffee samples were 3.28 ng/g and 4.09 ng/g, respectively, and maximum concentrations amounted to 6.65 ng/g and 7.44 ng/g, respectively. Ochratoxin A (mean concentration 9.60 ng/g, maximum level 31.4 ng/g) was also detected in up to 58% of the supplement capsules, but in none of tablets and sachets., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench) is a plant in the family Asteraceae, mainly grown in North America. Echinacea purpurea has been used in conventional medicine. The plant has immuno-stimulating and antibacterial properties, but neither mold contamination nor a mycotoxin presence have been evaluated. Our goal is to determine the degree to which molds and mycotoxins contaminate dietary supplements based on purple coneflower distributed on the Polish market. We analyzed 21 samples divided into four groups: sachets (n = 5), dry raw material (n = 3), capsules (n = 9), and tablets (n = 4). The mycological analysis of dietary supplements shows that the average number of molds is 1012 cfu/g, and the most common molds are Aspergillus spp., Phoma spp. and Eurotium spp. The mycotoxins most common in the samples are ZEN (18/21), DON (5/21) and T-2 toxin (3/21). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]