EVALUACIÓN DEL CONTENIDO DE METALES PESADOS EN CACAO (Teobroma cacao L.) DE SANTA BÁRBARA DEL ZULIA, VENEZUELA EVALUATION OF HEAVY METALS IN COCOA (Theobroma cacao L.) FROM SANTA BÁRBARA DEL ZULIA, VENEZUELA

Heavy metals concentrations such as cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and iron (Fe) were evaluated in almonds of two varieties of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.), hybrid and porcelana, from the region of Santa Barbara del Zulia, Venezuela. These were analyzed by the technique of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results show that, in two different periods of collection (2012 and 2013), the levels of Cd were in a range between 0.95 and 2.09 mg.kg -1 ; Cu between 4.87 and 21.36 mg.kg -1 ; Ni between 0.00 and 6.67 mg.kg -1 ; Cr between 0.14 and 1.69 mg.kg -1 ; Fe between 5.13 and 34.26 mg.kg -1 . These concentrations allow to have a reference