Dr. Umar Aitsaam

Cadmium mitigation in cocoa using lime and biochar showed strong lab and greenhouse efficacy, with field performance dependent on rate, placement, and rainfall. Lime gave rapid, larger reductions; biochar offered longer persistence.

What was studied?This original research article investigates the sources and extent of lead

Cadmium in cacao from soil to chocolate hinges on acidic soils and shell removal; fermentation doesn’t lower bean Cd, while nib testing and cocoa-mass percentage determine compliance.

Cadmium accumulation in cacao cultivars determines bean cadmium more than soils alone; cultivar choice can materially reduce bean Cd and support HTMC compliance.

Heavy metal certification for cacao demands genetic and post-harvest mitigation, as soil-based strategies often fall short. Geogenic sources dominate cadmium variability, necessitating robust screening, breeding, and stakeholder engagement for regulatory compliance and sustainable production.

The First national spatial map of cadmium in cacao beans in Colombia offers a regulatory-ready tool for targeted sourcing, surveillance, and mitigation aligned to export limits.

Concise guide to the EU’s 2025 heavy-metal limits in food—covering Pb, inorganic As, Hg (MeHg), Cd, and Ni—linking EFSA risk assessments (MOE, TDI/TWI) to legally enforceable maximum levels, and outlining practical testing, supply-chain controls, and recall-prevention strategies for clinicians, retailers, manufacturers, and regulators.

Evidence shows rice preferentially accumulates inorganic arsenic and cadmium. Risk reduction requires upstream controls—cultivar selection, AWD calibrated to local As/Cd trade-offs, clean irrigation, soil amendments—and downstream polishing, leaching, and test-and-hold verification, with statistically sound sampling and lot segregation to ensure compliant, consistent quality.

This study on arsenic and cadmium in Brazilian rice highlights wide regional and cultivar variability, with upland rice from Mato Grosso exhibiting exceptionally low heavy metal levels, essential for heavy metal certification and safe infant food production.

This research reveals that rice, especially brown rice, has higher toxic metal content than other grains. Some samples exceed arsenic limits, but washing reduces both toxic and essential elements, highlighting critical considerations for heavy metal certification programs.