| dc.description.abstract | The tropical cashew tree, Anacardium occidentale L., has remarkable
potential. The tree produces the pseudo-fruit known as the cashew
apple and nuts. The apple is sweet, juicy, and loaded with dietary
fiber, phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamin C. Despite having high
nutritional content, the cashew apple is neglected in low-technological
nations like Tanzania, primarily because of negligence over the well-
known nut, its perishability, and its astringent taste. Contrarily, cashew
apples are processed into various goods in high-income nations where
food processing and technology improvements have been realized.
Cashew apple products include juice, syrup, wine, alcohol, dietary fiber
extracts, and animal feed. However, inadequate technologies and skills
for postharvest handling and value addition have led to a considerable loss
of cashew apples, contributing to pronounced food and nutrition insecurity.
This review documents the production of cashew apples in Tanzania
and reveals the fruit's critical underutilization and potential nutrition and
economic opportunities. This documentation may call for interventions to
create awareness of the importance of cashew apples in social-economic,
food, nutrition and health, empower locals, and invite new processing
technologies to diversify and extend shelf-life. The ultimate goal is to
promote the utilization of this abandoned nutritious fruit. Such approaches
may reduce postharvest losses and impact food and nutrition security and
the social-economic empowerment of smallholder farmers. | en_US |
