Formulation of cashew apple-based products for nutrition-centric sustainability

Background: The excess generated by the fruit processing industry, including peels, seeds, and residue, holds significant nutritional and industrial value. These components are rich in essential nutrients like carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial phytochemicals such as phytosterols, carotenoids, polyphenols, and fiber. These nutrients provide various health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as supporting gut health. Despite being considered a waste, they present an excellent opportunity for food scientists and nutritionists to innovate, creating ways to boost the nutritional content of food products or even develop entirely new food items. Objective: Therefore, the current research was designed to harness the potential of cashew apples in creating sustainable value-based products. Material and Methods: Three products viz., squash, jam, and cashew leather were developed with varying percentages of cashew apples (CA) mixed with orange (O) and pineapple (P) fruit. Sensory analysis was done using the descriptive method and the most acceptable product was analysed for moisture, ash, Vit C, iron, and Phosphorus using established protocols. Results: Moisture content of jam (OJ1 made with CA75% + Orange 25% and fruit leather (FLO2 made with CA 50% + orange 50%) was 30.25% and 7.9% respectively. Ash depicts the inorganic content that is representative of minerals. The ash content of jam (OJ1 made with CA75% + Orange 25%) and fruit leather (FLO2 made with CA 50% + orange 50%) was 3.96 and 1.06%. Conclusion: Thus, by processing and using by-products of fruit processing into nutritious food products, one can enhance food and nutrition security.