Ochratoxin A in licorice as affected by processing methods

Agustin Ariño (1) , Marta Herrera (2) , Eloisa Langa (3) , Javier Raso (2) , Antonio Herrera (2)

1 Animal Production & Food Science
2 Animal Production & Food Science
3 CITA - Agri-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon - Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón

A study of the effect of several processing methods in the ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration in licorice and derived products was carried out. The effect of sorting, washing and peeling of fresh licorice roots was investigated, as well as the production at laboratory scale of licorice extract and block licorice from dry roots. Finally, the thermal stability of OTA was assayed. The OTA content was analyzed by HPLC-fluorescence and confirmed by methyl-ester formation. The OTA level in licorice extract was stable to heat treatment at 150şC during 60 m. OTA concentration was unaffected by sorting or washing, but it was much reduced by peeling (53.1% reduction). A great reduction in the OTA level was attained during the production of licorice extract (78.6%) and block licorice (91.8%).

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Agustin Ariño, Marta Herrera, Eloisa Langa, Javier Raso, Antonio Herrera. Ochratoxin A in licorice as affected by processing methods. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2007, 24 (09), pp.987-992. ⟨10.1080/02652030701317277⟩. ⟨hal-00577293⟩