Contamination of cocoa beans by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

This study aim is to evaluate the contamination of cocoa beans by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in three cocoa-producing regions of Côte d’Ivoire (Divo, Gagnoa and Soubré). A total of 30 samples of cocoa beans were taken from the three major cocoa production regions. These samples were transported to the laboratory for analysis using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results of this study showed that some samples were contaminated with PAHs with the highest levels found in samples from the town of Soubré. The average BaP contents vary from 0.001 to 0.030 µg/kg, much lower than the maximum residue limit which is 2 µg/kg. For the BaA molecules, no traces were detected in the different samples analyzed. In general, the contaminations observed in the three localities could be due to poor agricultural practices.

Key words: PAH, residues, cocoa beans, contamination