Affiliations 

  • 1 Analytical Services Laboratory, Cocoa Downstream Technology Division, Malaysian Cocoa Board, Cocoa Innovation and Technology Centre, Lot 12621 Kawasan Perindustrian Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Electronic address: rahmat@koko.gov.my
  • 2 Analytical Services Laboratory, Cocoa Downstream Technology Division, Malaysian Cocoa Board, Cocoa Innovation and Technology Centre, Lot 12621 Kawasan Perindustrian Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Electronic address: badrul@koko.gov.my
  • 3 Analytical Services Laboratory, Cocoa Downstream Technology Division, Malaysian Cocoa Board, Cocoa Innovation and Technology Centre, Lot 12621 Kawasan Perindustrian Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Electronic address: abdulsyukur@koko.gov.my
Food Chem, 2020 Jan 15;303:125392.
PMID: 31446362 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125392

Abstract

In this article, an easy and quick method based on microwave assisted acid digestion technique prior to quantification using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the analysis of heavy metals in cocoa beans, cocoa powder and chocolate was established and validated for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and antimony (Sb). Limit of quantification for all elements were product dependent and varies from 7.84 to 194.52 µg/kg. The recoveries of the heavy metals at 250 and 1000 µg/kg spiking levels were ranged between 96.27-108.75%, 90.43-101.97% and 89.72-106.26% for cocoa beans, cocoa powder, and chocolate, respectively. Relative standard deviation values obtained were all below 20% and the expanded uncertainty measurements for the elements were less than 25%. The analysis of real samples found that the concentration level is far from the national alarming level except for cadmium in cocoa beans.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.