Proximate Composition and Aflatoxin Composition of Retailed Cocoa Powdered Beverage

Abstract

The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.), belonging to the Malvaceae family is a tropical plant cultivated for its beans. Its derived products such as cocoa powder, cocoa liquor and chocolate are a very rich source of bioactive components. However, cocoa beans are usually susceptible to fungi contamination during certain stages of processing on the farm. In this study, eleven samples of cocoa powder were purchased in Ibadan and taken to the laboratory for determination of proximate and aflatoxin content. The proximate composition of the samples was determined using the analytical methods adopted by the Association of official analytical chemists (AOAC) while aflatoxin contents were done using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIZA). The proximate determination showed that the moisture contents of the samples ranged from 4.3819.82%, ash contents ranged from 4.87-11.32%, crude fat ranged from 3.22-14.15%, oil contents ranged from 2.1-4.55 while carbohydrate contents ranged from 59.87-80.28. The aflatoxin analysis of the cocoa powder in part per billion ranged from 10-55. Conclusively, the proximate composition of the cocoa powder justifies its claim that it is highly rich in nutrients but highly shown to be contaminated with aflatoxins which pose serious health risk to its consumers.