Cocoa Bean Shell (Cocoa Husk)

Roasted and winnowed cocoa bean husks for high-fibre animal feed, compost substrates and biomass energy

Cocoa bean shell, traded internationally under HS 1802.00, is the thin fibrous husk that encloses the cocoa cotyledon, separated mechanically after bean roasting and winnowing at cocoa processing plants. It is valued primarily as an economical source of digestible fiber and aroma in ruminant feeds, as a carrier for vitamin and mineral premixes, as a nitrogen-rich substrate for commercial mushroom cultivation, and as an industrial solid biofuel with a net calorific value exceeding 4,000 kcal/kg (approx. 17 MJ/kg). Key nutritional parameters include crude protein of 14% to 18%, crude fiber of 15% to 20%, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of 40% to 50%, moisture below 10%, and ash below 8%.

Because cocoa shell contains theobromine (typically 0.8% to 1.5%), its inclusion in animal nutrition must be formulated with care. While non-ruminants (especially dogs, horses and poultry) are sensitive to theobromine toxicity, ruminant cattle comfortably tolerate dietary inclusion rates of 5% to 15%, benefiting from the shell's natural bypass protein and rumen-fermentable fiber. In Latin America, Brazil is a substantial importer under NCM 1802.00.00 for industrial boilers and feedmills, receiving regular shipments through Santos and Paranaguá under Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) phytosanitary clearance. CBIL brokers cocoa bean shell from primary processing mills in Peru (Piura and San Martín), Brazil (Bahia) and West Africa, supplying both unground roasted flakes and dense 6 mm to 8 mm pellets in 1,000 kg big bags or loose bulk container liners (approx. 20 to 22 MT per 40ft container), with third-party inspection of theobromine, moisture, fiber and heavy metals by SGS or Intertek.

See also: Cocoa bean shell imports in Brazil (Santos & Paranaguá) · Palm kernel expeller (PKE) ruminant feed · Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)

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Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.