Overview
This two-page poster from the National Metrology Institute of South Africa describes multi-element ICP-MS analysis of a cocoa powder candidate reference material and checks accuracy with two wheat flour reference materials. It states that mercury and lead meet limits while cadmium, chromium and nickel are high. No concentrations are printed; they appear only in a log-scale bar chart.
Key numbers
- No numeric concentrations are printed (Figure 2 is a log-scale chart).
- Limits cited: cadmium 0.8 mg/kg and lead 0.5 mg/kg for cocoa powder, mercury 0.1 mg/kg for food (Heavy Metal Analysis panel).
- The claim that cadmium is “200 times the EU limit” is not supported by any printed number.
Methods (brief)
Microwave digestion in nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid, then triple-quadrupole ICP-MS with external calibration. Accuracy against wheat flour CRMs failed for several elements, including lead in one CRM.
Evidence Fitness
A conference poster, not peer-reviewed, about a single reference material rather than retail product, with values only in a figure. No findings are extracted. It is at most a weak pointer for cocoa powder and does not measure chocolate pudding or chocolate nut candy, so no ingredient or product page is linked.