Mineral profile of cocoa powder: Analytical approach in commercial samples
Mateus Barbosa Silva1, Herick Macedo Santos2, Joane Cristina Costa Pereira1
1Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia - UESB, Itapetinga, Brazil.
Background:
Cocoa powder is widely used in the food industry and has high nutritional value due to its composition, including minerals. The main factors related to the presence of minerals in cocoa powder are soil, processing, and cultivation practices. Given the high consumption of cocoa products and the need for information on their mineral composition, accurate assessments are important to ensure quality and consumer safety. In this study, the mineral content of commercial alkalized and natural cocoa powder samples from 12 countries was determined.
Results:
Total mineral content was as follows: K, 16 921-63 731 mg kg⁻¹; P, 2129-9253 mg kg⁻¹; Mg, 2900-6183 mg kg⁻¹; Ca, 488-3985 mg kg⁻¹; Fe, 97.3-1154 mg kg⁻¹; Al, 5.65-917 mg kg⁻¹; Mn, 34.6-59.1 mg kg⁻¹; Cu, 21.9-48.1 mg kg⁻¹; Ni, 5.64-14.9 mg kg⁻¹; Cr, 0.479-18.5 mg kg⁻¹; and Cd, 0-1.30 mg kg⁻¹. Mineral content varied among samples, and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) grouped them into four clusters, as confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA). Sixteen samples exceeded the maximum cadmium limits.
Conclusion:
The proposed procedure was effective for determining minerals in cocoa powder. The samples showed wide variation across all elements and provided insights into the macro- and micronutrient composition of alkalized and natural cocoa powders. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
