title: Trace elements in cocoa solids and chocolate: an ICPMS study.
abstract: The concentrations of eight trace elements: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), bismuth (Bi) and molybdenum (Mo), in chocolate, cocoa beans and products were studied by ICPMS. The study examined chocolate samples from different brands and countries with different concentrations of cocoa solids from each brand. The samples were digested and filtered to remove lipids and indium was used as an internal standard to correct matrix effects. A linear correlation was found between the level of several trace elements in chocolate and the cocoa solids content. Significant levels of Bi and As were found in the cocoa bean shells but not in the cocoa bean and chocolate. This may be attributed to environmental contamination. The presence of other elements was attributed to the manufacturing processes of cocoa and chocolate products. Children, who are big consumers of chocolates, may be at risk of exceeding the daily limit of lead; whereas one 10 g cube of dark chocolate may contain as much as 20% of the daily lead oral limit. Moreover chocolate may not be the only source of lead in their nutrition. For adults there is almost no risk of exceeding daily limits for trace metals ingestion because their digestive absorption of metals is very poor.
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Department, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: levyrin@post.bgu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Rinat Levi
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Yanus
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Hagit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sela
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Eitan J C
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Borojovich
authors.affiliation: Geological Survey for Israel (GSI), Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yevgeni
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zakon
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Magal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saphier
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Andrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikolski
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Efi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gutflais
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Avraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lorber
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Research Center, Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Zeev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karpas
mesh_terms: D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D012015:Reference Standards; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements
keywords: Chocolate; Chromium; ICPMS; Lead; Trace elements