Fate of Mycotoxins During Processing of Foodstuffs III. Ochratoxin A During Cooking of Faba Beans ( Vicia faba ) and Polished Wheat.

The fate of ochratoxin A during cooking of faba beans and polished wheat was studied by addition of crystalline toxin before cooking in water at a level of 125 ng/g dry faba beans or raw polished wheat. Determinations were made by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the simple, sensitive, precise and economical method used gave a detection limit of about 0.7 ng/g. Average destruction of 16 and 20% of ochratoxin A occurred during cooking of faba beans by two methods, whereas an average of only 6% of the toxin added was destroyed after cooking of polished wheat. Thus the destruction of ochratoxin A by cooking of contaminated faba beans or polished wheat is not possible.