Ochratoxin A (OA)-producing fungi were identified in coffee at different stages of maturation. The toxin was quantified in coffee during terrace drying and in coffee stored in barns. By direct plating, a high level of contamination (100%) was found in the coffee beans studied, with the genus Aspergillus representing 33.2%, of which Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus niger represented 10.3 and 22.9%, respectively, of the strains isolated from the coffee beans. The capacity to produce ochratoxin was determined in 155 strains of A. ochraceus and A. niger using both the agar plug method and extraction with chloroform, giving positive results for 88.1% of the A. ochraceus strains and 11.5% of the A. niger strains. Analysis for OA in the terrace and barn coffee samples showed that, independent of cultivar, year harvested, or production region, all except one of the samples analyzed showed mycotoxin levels below the limit suggested by the European Common Market (8 microg/kg), thus indicating that the problem is restricted and due to severe faults in harvesting and storage practices.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;">Acerola or west indian cherry (<em>Malpighia emarginata </em>DC) is a tropical fruit with high economic potential, and nutritional relevance due to its high vitamin C content. The continuous increase on fruits consumption, associated to the improvements on the quality control of foods indicated that the commercialization of frozen tropical fruits pulps should continue to increase, due to its convenience and nutritional appeal. Nevertheless, due to its composition, fruit pulps are a good substrate for the microbial growth, which can deteriorate the product, and cause harm to the human health. Therefore, it is extremely important to evaluate the quality of the commercialized fruit pulps, in order to verify their accordance to the legislation requirements. This work aimed to evaluate the quality of two brands of frozen acerola pulps (A and B) commercialized in the Londrina city, state of Paran&aacute;, Brazil. For this purpose, microbiology analysis (moulds and yeasts, total coliforms, and termotolerants counts), and physicochemical analysis (titratable acidity, pH, and total soluble solids) were performed. Analyses were done on five different samples of 5 Kg each. The two brands analyzed were in accordance to the Brazilian legislation requirements in relation to the parameters of quality and identity, and did not present microbiological contamination, which indicated safety in their consumption.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;">DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14685/rebrapa.v3i1.65</p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>

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