Microbiological and chemical safety of artisanal dark and white chocolate bars from small-scale industries in West Java, Indonesia

Global chocolate production has grown steadily, and Indonesia, the world's third-largest cacao producer, has seen a parallel rise in artisanal chocolate manufacturing in West Java. Food safety data for these small-scale producers remain limited. West Java's volcanic soils are rich in geogenic cadmium, which Theobroma cacao absorbs and concentrates in the bean regardless of processing, and the rapid growth of micro-enterprises without validated food-safety systems raises concerns for both microbiological hygiene and heavy-metal compliance. Sixteen chocolate bars (eight dark, eight white) from eight small-scale West Java producers were analysed. Total viable count (TVC), total yeast and mould count (TYMC), and Salmonella spp. were evaluated per ISO standards; lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were measured by ICP-MS. A linear mixed-effects model treated chocolate type as a fixed effect and brand as random. Compliance was checked against Indonesian (BPOM), EU, FSANZ, and Codex standards. All samples met BPOM's microbiological limits, with TVC of 2.5 × 103–4.0 × 103 CFU/g, TYMC of 1.2 × 102–8.5 × 102 CFU/g, and no Salmonella spp. detected. Chocolate type significantly affected TYMC (dark > white; p = 0.003) but not TVC ( p = 0.12); brand variation was significant for both ( p < 0.001). All samples met BPOM's Cd limits, but one brand's white chocolate (0.105 ± 0.015 mg/kg Cd) slightly exceeded the EU limit of 0.10 mg/kg. Cocoa-solid content correlated strongly with Cd ( r = 0.92, p < 0.05), an association consistent with, though not direct evidence of, the region's volcanic-soil geochemistry. West Java's artisanal chocolate producers show satisfactory microbiological safety and effective lead management, but cadmium governance needs priority, particularly for European markets. Given the purposive sampling and limited number of brands, findings are indicative rather than sector-wide. Future work should expand sampling, map soil cadmium variability, and quantify dietary cadmium exposure among Indonesian consumers.