During wet processing
During dry processing
Obvious indicators of potential OTA presence in green coffee include wet or mouldy bags or beans, the presence of husks and pods, an earthy or mouldy smell, and earthy notes in the cup itself. But, OTA has also been found in completely clean coffee. The ICO agreed method of moisture content analysis is ISO standard 6673: heating at 105 degrees Celsius during 16 hours, or moisture measuring equipment calibrated to the same standard. The sampling method referred to in ISO 6673 is ISO 4072. For details go to www.iso.org.Websites where information on moisture meters can be obtained include www.sinar.co.uk, http://www.farmcomp.fi/index.php?id=56, www.enercorp.com, www.agric.gov.ab.ca/index.html (search for moisture meters), www.decagon.com/aqualab/ and www.aqua-boy.co.uk.Readers are strongly recommended to visit www.coffee-ota.org for more extensive coverage on all aspects of the OTA issue. Look under Resources on the same site for presentations and teaching materials on HACCP and the prevention of OTA along the coffee chain, including a CD-ROM version.