Evaluación del contenido de cadmio en granos y cascarillas de plantaciones de cacao, Napo-Ecuador

Abstract

In 2019, Ecuador faced a problem that affected thousands of cocoa producers due to the establishment of Regulation (EU) No 488/2014 of the European Union, which specifies the maximum levels of cadmium (Cd) in cocoa derivatives, this resulted in a negative impact on cocoa exports of small and medium Ecuadorian farmers. In the present study, the presence of cadmium in beans and husks in plantations of fine-aroma cocoa (Theobroma Cacao L.) determines by the method of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) from acid digestion in the farm "Estrella del oriente" in the canton Carlos Julio Arosemna Tola, Napo, Ecuador. For the experimental part of the content analysis (Cd), the land divides into four zones, from which two samples of fruits were obtained for each zone to process the seed later and get a piece composed of grains and husks of each site. The results indicate that cocoa beans have an average concentration of 0.1347 ppm, below the permissible limit according to the European Union (EU) regulations, which establishes a maximum limit of 0.6 ppm, while the husk is 0.6456 ppm. On the other hand, it exceeds the same. In addition, the concentrations both in husk and grain exceed the permissible limits of 0.1ppm of the regulatory standards: FAO/WHO and the Codex Food Commission, in conclusion in samples of husks, there is a higher content of cadmium compared to seed samples with average values of 1.24 mg / Kg and 0.40 mg / Kg, so the area with the most elevated presence of Cd in the husk is zone 2 while in the cocoa bean in zone 1.