Cocoa Mass | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Cocoa mass (also called chocolate liquor) is the homogeneous paste produced by grinding roasted, husked cocoa nibs from Theobroma cacao L., containing approximately equal parts of cocoa solids and cocoa butter. It is the primary base ingredient in chocolate and cocoa confectionery products and is a rich natural source of flavanols and methylxanthines.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Cocoa mass is broadly recognised as safe and is governed by standardised food regulations in all major jurisdictions; its flavanol content has been linked to cardiovascular benefits including maintenance of normal endothelium-dependent vasodilation as confirmed by EFSA. However, it naturally contains caffeine and theobromine warranting caution in pregnant women and young children, and cocoa beans bioaccumulate cadmium from soil, posing a low but documented concern for high-frequency consumers — particularly toddlers and children — whose estimated weekly intakes can approach EFSA's provisional tolerable weekly intake of 2.5 µg/kg body weight.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Permitted under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code as a standardised cocoa/chocolate commodity ingredient; no ADI established as it is not a food additive.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Regulated as a primary cocoa/chocolate ingredient under Directive 2000/36/EC on cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption. EFSA separately approved a health claim (EFSA J. 2014;12:3678) for cocoa flavanols at ≥200 mg/day for maintenance of normal endothelium-dependent vasodilation.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Permitted under FSSAI Food Safety and Standards Regulations as a cocoa product ingredient; standards aligned with Codex Alimentarius CXS 141-1983 for cocoa (cacao) mass and cocoa cake.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Defined as a standardised food ('chocolate liquor') under 21 CFR 163.111; regulated as a food commodity, not a food additive; no ADI established. Cocoa flavanols in high-flavanol cocoa products confirmed safe and lawful under 21 CFR 101.14(b)(3)(ii).source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Cocoa mass contains caffeine and theobromine; EFSA guidance (2015 caffeine opinion) indicates that total caffeine intake from all sources should not exceed 200 mg/day during pregnancy to avoid fetal risk, and high cocoa mass intake contributes meaningfully to this total.

Infants — Not appropriate for infants due to caffeine and theobromine content, which the infant liver cannot efficiently metabolise, and due to potential cadmium exposure relative to very low body weight.

Children — High-cocoa products can push toddlers' and children's cadmium exposure to 60–63% of EFSA's provisional tolerable weekly intake (2.5 µg/kg bw/week), and caffeine/theobromine loads also warrant limiting portion sizes in this group.

Migraine — Cocoa mass contains phenylethylamine and theobromine, which are recognised dietary triggers for migraine episodes in susceptible individuals.

Kidney Disease — Cocoa mass is high in oxalates, which can promote calcium-oxalate kidney stone formation, and carries naturally accumulated cadmium that may accumulate further with impaired renal clearance.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Chocolate Liquor – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Part 163, Section 163.111. accessdata.fda.gov
2PubMed. Impact of Chocolate Cadmium on Vulnerable Populations in Serbia, 2025. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Cocoa, Blood Pressure, and Vascular Function, 2017. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the modification of the authorisation of a health claim related to cocoa flavanols and maintenance of normal endothelium-dependent vasodilation pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, 2014. efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
5other. Standard for Cocoa (Cacao) Mass (Cocoa/Chocolate Liquor) and Cocoa Cake – Codex Alimentarius CXS 141-1983 (revised 2025), 1983. fao.org

Independently researched5 citations