Ochratoxin A production in aniseed-based media by selected fungal strains and in anise fruits (Pimpinella anisum L.).

The growth conditions and ochratoxin A (OTA) production of Aspergillus strains were studied in aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L.)-based media. The results showed that methanol/NaHCO3 (50:50, v/v) mixture for extraction and competitive direct ELISA analytical method are capable of detecting low OTA concentrations in this raw material, which were confirmed by HPLC with fluorescence detection (R (2) = 0.