Coffee has gained in popularity in modern times and is the second-best-selling beverage in the world
[1]. As an important economic crop, it is central to the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide
[2]; accordingly, more than 80 countries grow coffee and some countries use coffee as a major cash crop
[3]. World coffee production for 2020/2021 is forecast to be 5.5 million kg higher than the previous year, reaching a record 176.1 million kg
[4]. Brazil is the largest exporter of coffee, and its exports account for one-third of the global total
[5]. The Agricultural Trade Office in Sao Paulo (ATO) forecasts the Brazilian coffee production for 2020/2021 at a record of 67.9 million kg, an increase of 15% over 2019 output. Finland is the largest per capita consumer of coffee, while China consumes the most coffee by volume
[6].
Coffea arabica and
C. canephora (robusta) are the two most-grown coffee species in the world
[7], accounting for 60% and 40% of global production, respectively
[8].
Throughout the tropics, coffee growers face many problems in agricultural production
[9]. As a climate-sensitive plant, implications of climate change have altered coffee production, from decreasing crop yield and quality to increasing fungal diseases and invasive pests
[10]. Coffee worldwide suffers from a range of pests and diseases, and fungal infections are also a major problem
[11]. Coffee roots, stems, leaves and beans are often damaged by pests and pathogens
[12].
Fungi on coffee occur in different life modes: endophytes, pathogens and saprobes
[13,14,15][13][14][15]. The largest number of fungi have been recorded from
C. arabica and
C. canephora (
Table S1, supplementary could be found in https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/4/411#supplementary, the following supplementary is same). Endophytes usually live inside the host without causing injury or obvious symptoms, and this association can provide a better living environment for both the host and fungus
[16]. There are also reports on their ability to aid in the defense of host plants
[17,18][17][18]. Huang et al.
[19] screened potential antagonistic endophytes that prevent and control post-harvest diseases. Coffee easily can be infected by pathogenic fungi when growing, during post-harvest handling and storage, and during processing
[20]. One of the most virulent diseases is ‘coffee rust’ caused by
Hemileia vastatrix, which wiped out coffee 150 years ago and continues to cause problems in coffee plantations worldwide
[21,22][21][22]. Fungal diseases in coffee can be divided into two types: diseases in pre-harvest and diseases in post-harvest
[23,24][23][24]. Many post-harvest coffee pathogens are infected shortly before harvest, are generally not found at harvest, and feature low activity; moreover, poor storage conditions during post-harvest favour their development
[23]. Fungal invasions before harvest are mainly induced by the interaction between the plant host and other organisms (such as insects), while fungal infections after harvest are controlled by nutrient availability, temperature, humidity and biological factors (insects)
[25]. Another pathway is that endophytic fungi in coffee beans change their life modes to saprobic/pathogenic after the beans are harvested, becoming postharvest pathogens
[19,26][19][26]. Most postharvest fungi produce toxins as secondary metabolites
viz. ochratoxin-A, which is a mycotoxin mainly produced as a result of secondary metabolism of many species of
Aspergillus and
Penicillium and is the most common mycotoxin present in agricultural commodities
[27]. Toxin-producing fungi can be isolated from coffee beans both pre-harvest and post-harvest, while the risk of fungal growth and mycotoxin production after harvest is higher in high temperature areas
[28,29][28][29]. These toxins can cause host infections and reduce coffee bean quality
[30] and can be carcinogenic, hepatotoxic, hematotoxic, nephrotoxic and neurotoxic for humans
[31,32][31][32]. Silva et al.
[33] isolated ochratoxin-A from damaged coffee beans, and ochratoxin-A was shown to cause coffee quality and yield losses. Studies have shown that the main toxigenic fungal genera comprise
Aspergillus,
Penicillium and
Fusarium, which are natural coffee contaminants
[34], and they can infect hosts in both farms and warehouses
[35].