Cadmium in soil and cacao beans of peruvian and south american origin

Abstract

Cadmium tends to bioaccumulate in different parts of cacao plant and its consumption can lead to serious health complications; due to this, the European Union (EU) established limits for tolerable concentrations of cadmium in cacao products as a preventive measure, which took effect as of January 2019. In South America and Peru, a sustained growth in cacao production has been recorded over the last 10 years, but scientific studies reveal that in some areas the cadmium levels of the soil and cacao beans exceed those established by the EU, thus, jeopardizing marketing and export possibilities to the EU. With this in mind, the purpose of this review was to compile information on the cadmium that is available in the soil, its accumulation in cacao beans, and the advances in treatment technologies; as well as to analyze the potential effects this has on cacao exports of South American origin, using Peru as a case analysis.