Cadmium in the Soil and its Presence in Cocoa

Abstract

Abstract Cadmium is a heavy metal from both natural and anthropogenic sources, whose concentration in the soil poses a real danger to the health of all organisms. In Ecuador, cocoa is an important agricultural product whose demand has grown over time. It is also the main source of livelihood for hundreds of small farmers. However, the presence of cadmium in the soil has become a major concern, as a result, several remediation methods have been proposed to eliminate or neutralize cadmium in the soil The bibliographic review proposes several physicochemical and biological methods capable of neutralizing the mobility of cadmium in the soil. The use of microorganisms capable of storing cadmium is a viable option due to its easy application and low implementation cost. The concentration of cadmium in cocoa beans shows values above the permissible limits established in Regulation No 488/2014 for cocoa products. Although there are no established values for cadmium concentrations in cocoa beans, this regulation can be taken as a reference in order to establish standards for cocoa production in Ecuador.

Keywords

• cadmium, cocoa, maximum permissible levels, bioremediation, bioaccumulation.