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Contextualization: For more than a century, coffee has been the main product of the national economy, also the one that has had the greatest incidence in the socioeconomic development of Colombia; for this reason, it is relevant to check up the biotic and abiotic factors that affect coffee production, especially in the department of Norte de Santander. The coffee-growing zone of the department is located between 6°56'42" and 09°18'01" north latitude, and 72°01'13" and 73°38'25" west longitude. Knowledge gap: There are few studies related to fungal contaminants of coffee, in the region of Norte de Santander, which restraints the elucidation of variables and factors that contribute to the proliferation of them. That can affect quality and the risk of mycotoxin incidence in the coffee of that region. Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of fungi isolated during the processing stage of cherry coffee (Coffea arabica L.), produced in the different municipalities of the department of Norte de Santander. Methodology: Samples were taken in eight coffee-growing municipalities of the Department of Norte de Santander. At a microbiological level, phenotypic characteristics were determined with the help of taxonomic keys. At the genotypic level, the primers ITS4 and ITS5 of the fungal ribosomal DNA were used to perform a search, using the BLAST tool, in curated databases to determine the species. Physicochemical variables [pH, water activity and percent of moisture] were determined. An analysis of variance [ANOVA], the TUKEY multiple comparison or post-hoc tests, and a discriminant analysis were applied. Results and conclusions: Sixty axenic strains of filamentous molds were isolated from cherry coffee, grown in the coffee-growing municipalities of Norte de Santander. According to phenotypic characterization, the predominant fungi in the coffee beans were: Fusarium spp. (35%), Penicillium spp. (25%), Geotrichum spp. (22%) and Aspergillus spp. (15%). Molecular identification confirmed the presence of the genera Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and Geotrichum spp. It was found that physicochemical variables determine the growth and proliferation of fungi in coffee beans; also, it was established that there are statistically significant differences and similarities in the municipalities sampled, that lead to establish two large groups correlated with each other, according to the physicochemical variables monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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