霉菌毒素神话：咖啡中模具的真相

What are mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are, as the name suggests, toxins formed by molds — tiny fungi that may grow on crops like grains andcoffee beans如果它们被储存不当（1).

当你摄取太多时，这些毒素会导致中毒（ 2 ).

他们也可能导致慢性健康问题。事实上，霉菌毒素是一个导致室内模具污染的原因，这可能发生在旧的，潮湿和通风不良的建筑物中（ 2 ).

模具产生的一些化学物质可能会影响您的健康，而有些化学物质已被用作药物药物。这些包括抗生素青霉素，以及ergotamine., an anti-migraine drug that can also be used to synthesize the hallucinogen LSD.

因此，存在许多不同类型的霉菌毒素。与之相关的那些coffee作物是黄曲霉毒素B1和Ochratoxin A.

黄曲霉毒素B1是已知的致癌物质，已被证明具有各种有害影响。Ochratoxin A已经少研究过，但它被认为是一种可能对您有害的弱致癌物肾脏( 3 ).

Still, it’s important to keep in mind that you are regularly exposed to trace amounts of harmful substances, including mycotoxins. What’s more, your liver can neutralize mycotoxins, which means they do not build up in your body as long as your exposure remains low.

Plus, at least 100 countries around the world regulate the levels of these compounds, though some have stricter standards than others (4).

概括

霉菌毒素是由霉菌产生的毒性化学品 - 在环境中发现的微小真菌。模具和霉菌毒素可能发生在谷物和咖啡豆等作物中。

Tiny amounts of molds and mycotoxins are found in some coffee beans

几项研究发现咖啡豆中的可测量水平的霉菌毒素 - 烤制的和无人物 - 以及酿造的咖啡：

• 从巴西的绿色咖啡豆样品中，33％的含量低水平的Ochratoxin A（5, 6 ).
• Of coffee brews from commercially available coffee beans in Portugal, 18% contained ochratoxin A (7).
• Aflatoxins have been found in green coffee beans, the highest level in decaffeinated beans. Roasting reduced the levels by 42–55% ( 8 ).
• Though 27% of roast coffees contained ochratoxin A, much higher amounts were found in chili ( 9 ).

Evidence shows that mycotoxins are present in a large percentage of coffee beans and make it into the final drink. That said, a 2021 study found that there was no historical evidence to be able to say that ochratoxin A is acutely toxic if consumed from coffee or other sources ( 10 ).

此外，他们的水平远远低于安全限制。

Understandably, you may still not like the idea of having toxins in your foods or beverages. But keep in mind that toxins — including mycotoxins — are everywhere, making it is impossible to avoid them completely.

According to one study, almost all types of foods can have mycotoxins, and virtually everyone’s blood may test positive for ochratoxin A. It has also been found in human breast milk (11, 12 ).

Various other foods and beverages contain measurable — but acceptable — levels of mycotoxins as well, such as grains, raisins, beer, wine, cereal, dark chocolate, andpeanut butter( 13 , 14 ,15).

This means that though you may be ingesting and inhaling various toxins each day, you should not be affected if their amounts are small.

声称霉菌毒素负责咖啡的苦味也不正确。咖啡中的单宁的数量决定了它的苦味。证据表明霉菌毒素与它有任何关系缺乏。

购买高品质的产品 - 无论是咖啡还是其他食物 - 通常是一个好主意，但为霉菌毒素的咖啡豆付出额外的额外可能是浪费金钱。

概括

在咖啡豆中发现了痕量的霉菌毒素，但是远低于安全限制和太低，不能具有实际意义。

Coffee growers use specific methods to keep the mycotoxin content low

Molds and mycotoxins in foods are nothing new. They’re well-known concerns, and coffee growers have found efficient ways to deal with them.

最重要的方法称为湿法处理，有效地摆脱了大部分模具和霉菌毒素（16).

烘焙豆类也杀死了产生霉菌毒素的模具。根据一项较旧的研究，烘焙可以将Ochratoxin A水平降低69-96％（ 17 ).

咖啡的质量协议级ing to a grading system, and the presence of molds or mycotoxins significantly lowers this score. What’s more, crops get discarded if they exceed a certain level.

Even lower-quality coffees have levels well below the safety limits set by regulatory authorities and significantly below the levels shown to cause harm.

In a Spanish study, the total ochratoxin A exposure in adults was estimated to be only 3% of the maximum level regarded as safe by the European Food Safety Authority ( 18 ).

另一个年长的研究表明,4杯咖啡daily provide only 2% of the ochratoxin A exposure deemed safe by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (19).

Decaf coffee tends to be higher in mycotoxins. This is because caffeine, which is removed from decaf coffee, helps stop the growth of molds. Instant coffee also contains higher levels than regular coffee, but they are still too low to be of concern ( 20 ).

概括

咖啡制造商非常了解霉菌毒素的担忧和使用湿法处理的方法，以显着降低这些化合物的水平。

The bottom line

霉菌毒素在各种食物中被发现少量，包括咖啡。

但是，他们的水平应由生产者和食品安全部门严格监督。当水平超越安全限制时，召回食品或丢弃。

Research shows that the咖啡的好处still far outweigh the potential negatives. What’s more, there’s no evidence to suggest that low levels of mycotoxin exposure are harmful.

尽管如此，如果您想最大限度地减少您的风险，只能饮用质量咖啡因咖啡和store it in a dry, cold place.

If you are concerned about nutrition and health benefits, you may also want to avoid adding sugar or heavy creamers. This will helpkeep your coffee healthy.