Estudio del contenido permisible de metales pesados en licor de cacao y su impacto en la salud del consumidor

Abstract

In Ecuador, cocoa is considered a primary crop, and with the production of seeds, by-products such as cocoa liquor and others are obtained, which has allowed satisfying the socioeconomic activities of the country. Importing and exporting countries have placed greater emphasis on the presence of heavy metals in the crop, being a parameter that compromises the quality of the product (Meléndez, 2017). The cocoa plant absorbs nutrients from the soil for its biological function; therefore, if the soil contains heavy metals, they are concentrated in the cocoa bean, and when it is industrialized, by-products are obtained that are consumed, being a danger to human health (Reyes et al., 2016).