Análisis de cadmio, plomo, níquel y arsénico en plantas de cacao y derivados: Industria Alimentaria

. Cocoa is a raw material produced mainly in several countries in America, Africa and Asia. The cultivation of cocoa is one of the main socio-economic activities in Ecuador, being the first exporter of fine aroma cocoa beans in America. OBJECTIVE. The objective of this article is to review research to analyze the problem of cadmium, lead, arsenic and nickel content in plantation soils and in products derived from cocoa. METHOD. A systematic review was carried out consulting 18 articles from the main databases. RESULTS. Analysis of heavy metals related to cocoa was found in different countries of the world. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. It has been found that the cultivation of cocoa and its post-harvest derivatives can have high concentrations of cadmium, lead, nickel and arsenic, the legislation is not clear enough or there are no limits of heavy metals for this raw material. Working on predictive models to determine a possible heavy metal contamination is essential for the industrial sector, as well as mitigation tools in the field and in production.