Cadmium Levels in Soils and Cacao Beans at Estates with the Cacao Carenero PGI: Barlovento, Miranda State, Venezuela

In recent times, Venezuela has increased its cocoa exports. To overcome barriers to entering international markets in different countries, Venezuela must address several limitations, including the presence of heavy metals such as cadmium. Cadmium is a heavy metal toxic to human health that is present in immature soil, is absorbed by plants, and is accumulated in beans. The Miranda state soil has been marked as a potential cadmium carrier, despite being home to one of the world’s best cocoas, which is internationally recognized for use in the production of derivatives, such as chocolate.
Therefore, this study aimed to provide a technical assessment of cadmium concentrations in soil and cocoa beans from PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) production units (farms) located in the Páez Municipality, subregion Barlovento, Miranda State, Venezuela.
The results show that the soil cadmium concentration of the four farms ranged from 1.76 to 3.56 ppm (mg.kg-1) its data coincide with other values reported for soils in cocoa-producing areas in Venezuela. It has been reported that these soils are predominantly highly fertile, alluvial, and rich in organic matter, making them world-famous for cultivating premium Carenero cocoa beans. Cd concentration found in the beans with shell of the four farms which ranging from 0.58 to 0.79 ppm (mg/kg-1), which is good as compared to the reasonable and scientific maximum limit on raw beans must be 0.8-1.22 µg g−1 (ppm) pointed out by reports of literature, and lightly high than those used as common commercial reference standard of 0.6 mg/kg (ppm) in shelled cocoa beans. It is important to note that this difference could be due to the presence of the shell in the cocoa analyzed in this study, as supported by the fact that Cd accumulates better in the cocoa shell.
Likewise, results also show that despite the low pH found in the soil of the region assayed, look like an interaction between low electrical conductivity and low pH in this region's soil could diminish cadmium root absorption by cocoa plants, showing a cadmium bean concentration adequate for consumption based on the concentration in the latest research in the literature.

Fine aroma cocoa, cadmium level, cadmium legislation, soil pH, Venezuelan cocoa.

1. Abt, E.; & Lauren, P. (2020). Perspective on cadmium and lead in cocoa and chocolate. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 68(46):13008–13015. Online: https://bit.ly/3xIThQf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Acevedo, E.; Carrasco, M.A.; León, O.; Martínez, E.; Silva, P.; Castillo, A.; Ahumada, I.; Borie, G.; & González, S. (2005). Informe sobre criterios de calidad de suelos agrícolas. Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Chile.205 pp. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bohn, H.L.; McNeal, B.L.; & O`Conor G.A. (1993). Soil chemistry. 1stEdition. Editorial Limusa S.A. México. 363 p. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Bravo Arista, WL. (2020). Determinación del cadmio (CD++) en almendras de tres cultivares de Theobroma cacao L (cacao) en el proceso de poscosecha en el distrito Daniel Alomía Robles - Huánuco – Perú, Tesis de Grado. Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva Facultad de Agronomía [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Cestari; S.; Telleria-Mata, N.; Villanueva, S.; & Henríquez, M. (2020). Cadmium in Barlovento, Edo. Miranda, Venezuela, and possible effect of tuy river on the contents of this metal in cocoa fields. In: XI Congreso Científico de La Universidad Del Oriente. 2020-11-25 | Conference Paper. Sucre, Venezuela. https://zenodo.org/records/4509531 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Chavez, E.; He, Z.; Stoffella, P.; Mylavarapu, R.; Li, Y.C.; Moyano, B.; & Baligar. V.C. (2015). Concentration of cadmium in cacao beans and its relationship with soil cadmium in southern Ecuador Science of the Total Environment, 533:205–214. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Charkiewicz, A.E.; Omeljaniuk, W.J.; Nowak, K.; Garley, M.; & Nikliński, J. (2023). Cadmium toxicity and health effects—A brief summary. Molecules, 28(18), 6620 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Crozier, J. (2012). Heavy metals in cocoa. International workshop on possible E. U. regulations on cadmium in cocoa and chocolate products. 3er and 4th may [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Dogbatse, J.A.; Arthur, A.K.; Awudzi, G.K.; Quaye A.K.; Konlan, S.A.; & Amaning, A.A. (2021). Influence of acidic soils on growth and nutrient uptake of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) varieties. International Journal of Agronomy, (7):1-10. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Dos Santos Oliveira, A.; de Souza Júnior, J.O.; Lima Neves, J.C.; dos Santos Neto, J.A.; & Ahnert, D. (2024). Temporal variation of soil acidity attributes in cocoa growing areas. Acta Agronómica, 73(1): 92-98. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. European Union-EU. (2014). Regulation no. 488/2014. they modify EC regulation no 1881/2006 regarding the maximum content of cadmium in food products. Technical report, Official Journal of the European Union. Online: https://bit.ly/3uvfOxT [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Europea Union-EU. (2023). Reglamento (UE) 2023/915 de la Comisión de 25 de abril de 2023 relativo a los límites máximos de determinados contaminantes en los alimentos y por el que se deroga el Reglamento (CE) N.O 1881/2006 (Texto pertinente a efectos del EEE): In: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ES/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32023R0915. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Joint FAO/WHO (2020) Expert Committee on Food Additives Safety Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants: Prepared by the Seventy-Third Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); Proceedings of the Meeting, 73th & World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland. 9–14 November 2020; Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2011. Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44521FAO/OMS 2018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. FAO. (2021a). Standard operating procedure for soil pH determination. Rome. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. FAO. (2021b). Standard operating procedure for soil electrical conductivity, soil/water, 1:5. Rome [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Florida Rofner; N.; Shilthon Lineker, C.; & Gómez Bernal, R. (2018). El pH y la absorción de cadmio en almendras de cacao orgánico (Theobroma cacao L.) en Leoncio Prado, Huánuco, Perú. Folia Amazónica, Revista del Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, 27 (1). 1-8 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Florida Rofner, N. (2021a). Review on maximum limits of cadmium in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.). Revisión sobre límites máximos de cadmio en cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). La Granja: Revista de Ciencias de la Vida, 34(2) 2021:113-126. ©2021, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Ecuador. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Florida Rofner, N. (2021b). Cadmio en suelos y granos de cacao de origen peruano y sudamericano Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía Medellín, 74(2):9499-9515. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. García Porras, G.A.; Santos, J.A.; Carvalho, MR.d.; Pinzón-Sandoval, E.H.: Pereira, A.A.S.: & Guilherme, L.R.G. (2025). Addressing Cadmium in Cacao Farmland: A Path to Safer, Sustainable Chocolate. Agriculture, 15(4), 433. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Haider, F.U.; Liqun, C.; Coulter, J.A.; Cheema, S.A.; Wu, J.; Zhang, R.; Wenjun, M.; & Farooq, M. (2021). Cadmium toxicity in plants: Impacts and remediation strategies. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 211, 111887. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Huamán Ayala, J.L.; Aguirre Escalante, C. (2025). Calidad de suelo en parcela en Theobroma cacao (cacao) de diferentes edades en el fundo Fortaleza de Tingo María – Huánuco, 2023. Revista de Investigación y Amazonía, 15(20): 51–61 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Izquierdo, A (1998) Determinación de contaminación con cadmio En El cultivo de cacao (Theobroma cacao L) y su posible origen en la región de barlovento, Edo. Miranda. Master Tesis, Universidad Central de Venezuela. Venezuela [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Kabata-Pendias, A. (2011). Trace elements in soils and plants. Fourth Ed. In: Book by CRC Press, pp. 548. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Marcano, E.; Arrieche, D.; Rodríguez-Ramos, F. (2026). Cadmium screening in soils and cacao beans from the main plantation sites in Venezuela. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 117(4):1-8. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Norma Chilena Oficial Nch. 2880. (2004). Compost clasificación y requisitos. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Penn State University. (2026). La naturaleza de la información geográfica. La cuadrícula UTM y la proyección Mercator transversal. In: https://courses.ems.psu.edu/natureofgeoinfo/c2_p22.html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Ramírez, R. (2022). Contaminación de suelos y cultivos con metales pesados y nutrientes en Venezuela. Revista de la Facultad de Agronomía (UCV), 48: 01–17 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Rosas-Patiño, G.; Puentes-Páramo, Y.J.; &Menjivar-Flores, J.C. (2017). Relación entre el pH y la disponibilidad de nutrientes para cacao en un entisol de la Amazonia colombiana. Corpoica Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria, 18(3): 529-541. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. SAPI (Servicio Autónomo de la Propiedad Intelectual en Venezuela). (2026). Indicaciones Geográficas Protegidas. In: https://sapi.gob.ve/indicaciones-geograficas/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Sdzawkar, A.; Carrasco, M.; Grezz, R.; & Mora M. (2005). Método de análisis de compost. Revisión 2005. Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuaria INIA Santiago de Chile, Chile. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Solsol-Salis, S.; & Vallejos-Torres, G. (2025). Micorrización y concentración de cadmio en sistemas agroforestales con cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), en San Martín. Revista Agrotecnológica Amazónica, 5(2), e790. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Tosto., T.F.; de Almeida, A.A.F.; Oliveira, B.R.M.; Paiva, A.Q.; Ahnert, D.; Reis, G.S.M.; & Baligar, V.C. (2023). Physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of young cacao plants grown in coastal plain compacted soil, with location and phosphorus limitation. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 42, 2389–2407. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. USEPA. (2002). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Supplemental guidance for developing soil screening levels for super fund sites. http://www.epa.gov/ superfund/health/con media/soil/ind ex.htm [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Velásquez-Vélez, M.I.; Galvis-Lora, C.; Mejía-Córdoba, C.A.; & Zapata-Guzman, J.E. (2022). Implicaciones de la acumulación de Cadmio en la cadena productiva del cacao. Manglar, 19(4), 391-397. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. WHO/FAO. (2023). Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Cadmium Contamination in Cocoa Beans. Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice No. CXC 81–2022. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome, Italy. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc5333en%0A [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study