Cadmium in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) cultivation and its environmental effects

A critical issue in agriculture today is the presence of cadmium in the cocoa crop, as it severely compromises health, food safety, and the environment. Although the demand for cocoa is growing significantly, the presence of this contaminant is a potential limiting factor for its export and commercialization. This article describes the environmental effects of cadmium on the cocoa plant, soil-water ecosystems, human health, and some socio-economic conflicts. In this sense, through a systematic literature review and information available in databases, a statement is presented, basically focused on cadmium as one of the most toxic and inhibitory metals in plant physiological processes since it reduces growth, photosynthetic activity, transpiration, and chlorophyll content, in addition to causing a significant nutritional imbalance in plants with consequent effects on productivity. Its accumulation degrades the soil alters its chemical (nutrients and pH), physical (texture, permeability, water retention, and density), and biological (fungi and bacteria) properties, losing its self-purification capacity. In aerial parts of plants, it allows its passage to the trophic chain where it bioaccumulates, causing harmful effects on people's health, mainly damaging kidneys and liver, which can cause nephropathy and irreversible liver damage. Continued ingestion of this heavy metal can cause bone fragility. Keywords: Cocoa, cadmium, environment, health