Cashew flour nutritional information11/9/2023 ![]() ![]() African cashew nuts with shell are mostly processed in India and Vietnam. The processing of cashew nuts in shell is difficult and expensive due to the specific characteristics of the shell. Cashew nut plays a massive social aid in many developing countries, where thousands of families live from cashew cultivation. The tree produces a soft, shiny, and juicy fruit known as cashew apple which bears a single‐seeded nut in its bottom covered with a hard gray shell. Cashew trees can grow from sea level to an altitude of 1000 m (Davis 1999). From India, cashew trees spread all over southeast Asia. During the 16th century, it was introduced into India and Africa by Portuguese (Aiyadurai 1966 Asogwa et al. In 2014, the total production of cashew kernels achieved 629,668 MT (metric tons), led by India with 164,286 MT and followed by Vietnam with 119,048 MT, Ivory Coast with 109,583 MT, Guinea‐Bissau with 48,300 MT, and Tanzania with 35,200 MT (unpublished results from the International Nut and Dried Council database).Ĭashew nuts, Anacardium occidentale L., belongs to the Anacardiaceae family and is an evergreen tree native from northeast region of Brazil which expanded spontaneously in South American countries (Asogwa et al. ( 2013) confirming that the incidence of major cardiovascular events and mortality is 30% lower for those individuals consuming a Mediterranean diet supplemented with a handful of nuts a day, compared to those that are advised to consume a low‐fat diet.Īmong tree nuts, cashew nuts ranks third in worldwide production (kernel basis), with a world average production of 547,371 metric tons (kernel basis) in the last 10 years with a continuous raising trend. The benefits of the addition of nuts in a healthy diet in front of a low‐fat diet have been recently highlighted by Estruch et al. Furthermore, adding cashew nuts in the diet resulted in an increased antioxidant capacity in subjects with metabolic syndrome (Davis et al. In addition, no association between nut consumption and weight gain was recently demonstrated in a meta‐analysis of clinical trials (Flores‐Mateo et al. Its long‐term consumption was also associated with a decreased risk of weight gain and obesity (Bes‐Rastrollo et al. 2013), and decrease the risk of depression (Sanhueza et al. 2012), increase bone mineral density (Rivas et al. Furthermore, in some studies nuts had been found to improve mental health (Carey et al. 2013), but also to a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome (Fernández‐Montero et al. 2010), especially in case of stroke (Estruch et al. Consumption of nuts incorporated in a healthy diet was associated not only to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality (Kris‐Etherton et al. Tree nuts are known to contain a high content of unsaturated FA (fatty acids), both mono‐ and polyunsaturated FA, combined with a huge variety of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytosterols, and a generous content of fiber. Furthermore, consumption of tree nuts had been linked with several health benefits during the last years due to its particular nutritional composition. Nuts played an important role in diets of many cultures and civilizations for centuries due to its high energy and nutritional value as well as its huge variety of flavors and unique taste. Potassium with a mean value of 6225 mg/kg was the mineral with highest amount in cashew samples. Vitamin E with an average contribution of 5.80 mg/100 g was the most abundant vitamin. Glutamic acid, with 4.60 g/100 g, was the amino acid with highest presence, whereas tryptophan with 0.32 g/100 g was the one with lower presence. β‐Sitosterol with 2380 ± 4 mg/kg fat was the most occurring sterol. Furthermore, the sterol profile and content, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals of four raw cashew kernel samples from Brazil, India, Ivory Coast, and Vietnam were determined. The mean energy content was 2525 kJ/100g. Fourteen FA were identified among which oleic acid was the most abundant with a contribution of 60.7% to the total fat, followed by linoleic (17.77%), palmitic (10.2%), and stearic (8.93%) acids. The average sodium content was 144 mg/kg. Proteins, with 21.3 g/100 g, were ranked second followed by carbohydrates (20.5 g/100 g). Total fat was the major component accounting for 48.3% of the total weight, of which 79.7% were unsaturated FA (fatty acids), 20.1% saturated FA, and 0.2% trans FA. The total dietary fiber, sugar, protein, lipid profile, sodium, and energy contents of 11 raw cashew kernel ( Anacardium occidentale L.) samples from India, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, and Vietnam were determined. ![]()
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