Products of Cashew apple
The widely cultivated cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale L.) is a swollen peduncle to which the nut is attached rather than a true fruit. It has four to five times as much vitamin C as citrus and is therefore very nutritious. The cashew apple also has significant amounts of tannins, sugars, and minerals, primarily calcium, iron, and phosphorus.
The cashew apple is an accessory fruit — it develops after the cashew seed has matured, with the kidney-shaped shell enclosing the edible cashew nut sitting at the tip of the apple. It is rich in minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamin C, along with polysaccharides, protein and fibre, which makes it an excellent thirst quencher and an instant energy source. Despite this, most of the crop goes unused: short shelf life, susceptibility to microbial infection and tannin content are the main barriers to widespread commercialisation of cashew apples and their products.
Valorisation routes fall into three broad product families. On the non-alcoholic side, juice is extracted using a hydraulic press, screw press or basket press, and can be built into squash or syrup by adding sugar and citric acid to reach the required consistency. A ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage is made from the unfermented juice by adding water and sugar to the required quantity of clarified juice. Well-ripened, less-firm apples — the fruit least suited to fresh handling — are diverted into cashew apple sauce.
Fermentation and distillation open the higher-value alcoholic range. Feni, a powerful cashew liquor at 45% alcohol by volume, is obtained by distilling arrack mixed with fermented juice in a 1:2 ratio. Cashew apple wine, at 7.5–15% alcohol by volume, is translucent red, sweet and fruity with a characteristic cashew apple aroma. Cashew apple vinegar is produced in two stages — alcoholic fermentation followed by acetic fermentation — and is dark brown in colour.
Osmo-dehydrated and pulp-based products complete the portfolio. For candy, cashew apples are soaked in a sucrose solution of 50–70°Brix and then dehydrated; the chew form is consumed as a mouth freshener or with betel leaves. Jam is the most significant cashew apple pulp product, made by boiling the pulp with equal parts sugar and citric acid until a thick consistency is reached. Taken together, these lines let a processor match fruit condition and throughput to a spread of shelf-stable, saleable products.