Europe is the world's largest market for chocolate producers and exporters (Germany 17.0%, Belgium 11.0%, Italy 7.3%, the Netherlands 7.0% and Poland with 6.3% of the world market share). Chocolate and chocolate-based products are popular, eagerly eaten and, as research shows, have a beneficial effect on the human body. However, it should be remembered that they are also a source of trace elements, any excess of which can be harmful to the consumer’s health. The aim of the study was to determine the content of chromium, nickel and cobalt in chocolate products with different cocoa mass content available on the Polish market. Sixty-three types of chocolate and eight chocolate creams with different cocoa mass content (0% to 90%) were used. The samples were mineralized, and the content of selected elements was analyzed by atomic absorption using a spectrometer. The highest content of the examined elements was recorded for dark chocolate: 1.71, 5.61 and 0.37 mg kg-1 of Cr, Ni and Co, respectively. The content of all tested elements, in each interpreted case, increased with the amount of cocoa mass in the tested product. It has been shown that consumption of a daily portion of the analyzed chocolate products suggested by the manufacturer does not cause a risk of exceeding the supply of the tolerated daily intake of the analyzed elements, regardless of the cocoa mass content in the composition of the analyzed products.

26.3.2021