Presence of cadmium in cocoa (Theobroma cacao, L.) soils in the province of Esmeraldas-Ecuador

Abstract

The province of Esmeraldas, where the research was carried out, is recognized for the quality of its fine aroma cocoa (Theobroma cacao, L.), which is highly sought after internationally, but the regulation for cadmium by the European Union has restricted its commercialization, for Therefore, with the objective of evaluating the presence of cadmium in the soil, leaves and almonds, to establish its mobility and absorption by the plant, 51 farms from the Eloy Alfaro, Muisne and Atacames cantons were sampled that have cocoa crops of more than 5 years of age, applying a zig zag sampling, the lowest average values of cadmium in the soil were found in Colón Eloy (0.064 ppm.Kg-1), while the highest were obtained in the soils of Muisne and Atacames (0.147 and 0.145 ppm.Kg-1 respectively); in the leaves, the data were 6.96 and 11.50 ppm.Kg-1 for these locations, respectively. In cocoa beans, both in Colón Eloy, Muisne and Atacames, they were high (1.09; 1.99 and 2.08 ppm.Kg-1, respectively) with respect to the maximum limits of Cd, established by the European Union (0.10 to 0.80 μg .kg-1). It is concluded that the analyzed samples yielded values greater than 0.1 ppm.Kg-1 considered contaminants, due to the fact that Cd, due to its mobility, is easily absorbed by cocoa plants, which is reflected in its content in the leaves and fruits, for Therefore, remedial measures must be applied to help producers recover their commercialization in the world.