During this period the a w values declined from about 0.99 found on the first day to around 0.49 at the end of the period (Table 1). This huge variation was also reflected in the diversity of the fungi
isolated. At the beginning of drying, the beans showed a higher a w , so there was a predominance of fungi found at the end of fermentation (Abs. corymbifera, P. paneum and yeasts). With a reduction in
aw the mycobiota started to change to fungal species typically isolated from intermediate moisture foods, such as the genus Aspergillus and xerophilic fungi such as A. candidus and E. chevalieri,
especially after some of the volatile acetic acid had evaporated. In the course of drying, an increased occurrence of Aspergillus section Flavi and Aspergillus section Nigri was also observed, which
are important groups of potentially aflatoxin and ochratoxin producers, respectively. The prevalence of beans infected with A. flavus reached 100% in some samples. This aflatoxigenic species
was isolated from 11.3% of drying samples. The values found for Aspergillus parasiticus were lower. Regarding the potentially ochratoxigenic fungi, A. niger was the most prevalent species, followed by A. carbonarius and the group of A. ochraceus at a lower number (Table 1). At one stage of the drying process, these species were exposed to moisture and temperature that may allow mycotoxin production