| Summary: | Cocoa pod husks (CPH) are usually disposed of from the farm, and this can lead to environmental problems, such as being a breeding ground for the cocoa pod borer. This study aimed to determine the nutritional composition and concentration of ultra-trace elements (As, Cd, Pb & Hg) in CPH. The optimization of the extraction conditions of CPH in response to the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) by using response surface methodology (RSM) was also conducted. The findings show that the total carbohydrate and crude fibre content of CPH are high (35.75% & 35.47%, respectively) while having low levels of moisture, ash, crude protein, and fat (11.86%. 8.60%, 7.46% & 0.86, respectively). In addition, the results demonstrate that CPH has a low content of toxic metals As, Cd, Pb, and Hg (0.0046 mg/kg, 0.0028 mg/kg, 0.0011 mg/kg & 0.00003 mg/kg respectively) which is considered as a safe range. The optimized extraction conditions were a solvent concentration of 93.64%, a temperature of 38.18°C, and a time of 73.64 min. The actual value of the flavonoid content of CPH obtained was 1038.94 µmoL Fe2+/L, which is acceptable compared to the predicted value of 1039.40 µmoL Fe2+/L. The discovery from this research represents a significant contribution towards finding cocoa pod husk from a plentiful, affordable, and feasible source, which could potentially be used in various fields such as pharmaceutical, medical, and nutraceuticals.
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