Underutilized Cashew Apple Fruit: Its Utility and Development as a Source of Nutrients and Value Added Products in Tanzania

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.