*3.3. Roasting and Brewing*

The combination of roasting and brewing of naturally contaminated coffee beans by using the traditional Qatari method was studied to show its effect on the reduction of AF and OTA. The roasting temperature is the main factor affecting the reduction rates of AF and OTA in the coffee beans. The reduction rates were proportional to the roasting temperature. The maximum reduction rates achieved with the high roasting scheme were 61.52% and 57.43% for AFs and OTA, respectively. Brewing alone was effective in reducing OTA more than AF. Brewing showed high efficiency in the reduction of both mycotoxins in roasted coffee beans by a low roast scheme. The best combination was defined at a high roast scheme with traditional brewing, and the cumulative reduction rates were 62.38% for AFs and 64.7% for OTA. It is worth noting that roasting temperatures applied to coffee beans in Arab countries are lower than those applied in other countries to preserve the traditional organoleptic characteristics such as color and flavor [125].
