Molecular detection of ochratoxin A producers: An updated review

Ochratoxin A (OTA) can be detected worldwide from various food and feed sources. It is produced by Penicillium nordicum and P. verrucosum as well as by various Aspergillus species, with A. ochraceus and A. carbonarius as the predominant producers. Various pairs of PCR primers based on AFLP, RAPD as well as primers specific to ribosomal RNA and genes coding for calmodulin and OTA biosynthetic pathway components were recently developed to detect and identify OTA producers in conventional and real-time PCR assays. Application of such assays in contaminated samples was demonstrated only in few cases. The current review gives an updated overview over the methods at hand.