Mycotoxin-tested coffee is coffee whose green beans have been screened by a laboratory for ochratoxin A and aflatoxins before roasting, with the result available to read. In Malaysia this is rare. Most roasters do not test. Most do not mention it.
What the test covers
Two families of mould by-products. Ochratoxin A, which forms when green coffee sits damp in drying yards, containers and warehouses. Aflatoxins, from Aspergillus moulds in the same conditions. Neither comes from how the farm grew the coffee. They are drying, transit and storage problems, which is why a farm certificate cannot speak to them.
The screen is run on the green bean, before roasting. We have written about each in plain terms: ochratoxin A, and aflatoxins.
Why it matters here
Coffee reaches Malaysia by sea, through the humidity it grew in. A long crossing. A wet month in a warehouse. The conditions that make this a good place to drink coffee are the conditions moulds prefer.
Levels in specialty coffee are usually low. Usually is doing quiet work in that sentence, which is why we prefer a number.
What to ask a roaster
Three questions are enough. Was this lot screened for ochratoxin A and aflatoxins? Which laboratory ran the screen, and under what accreditation? May I read the report?
A roaster who tests will answer in a sentence. ISO/IEC 17025 is the accreditation worth looking for; it means the laboratory itself is audited, not merely registered.
Where we stand
We screen green lots at independent laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and publish each report as its lot clears. Three of our coffees carry a published report today: both Ethiopian lots and the Peruvian. The rest are published as they clear, not before. Where a lot has not been screened yet, the space stays empty. We would rather show you a gap than borrow a result.
The reports are on Lab results. The reasoning is on Our Standard. The coffees with published reports sit in one collection.
If you drink coffee daily, the label should work as hard as the drink. Ask for the number.
