JOURNAL OF FOOD NUTRITION AND METABOLISM | ISSN 2674-2411 Available online at www.sciencerepository.org Science Repository * Correspondence to: Barve Ketaki, CTARA, IIT Bombay, Mumbai 40007, Maharashtra, India; Tel: 917719802470; E-mail: ketaki.barve@madhavbaug.com; saihere1@gmail.com © 2020 Barve Ketaki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.31487/j.JFNM.2020.01.04 Review Article Anacardium Occidentale by-Product: A Review on Sustainable Application and Added-Value Barve Ketaki 1* , Agte Vaishali 2 and Arora Amit 1 1 CTARA, IIT Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra India 2 Director, Innova Foods, Pune, Maharashtra, India A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received: 30 March, 2020 Accepted: 30 April, 2020 Published: 28 May, 2020 Keywords: Cashew apple preprocessing value addition sustainability A B S T R A C T Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) tree is mainly known for the production of cashew nuts. Cashew apple also known as pseudo-fruit is the by-product of cashew nut production. The fruit is often neglected due to its high perishability. It is important to note that cashew nut production leads to average wastage of around 2 million tons in Maharashtra alone. Additionally, cashew apple needs to be known for its value-added potential as it is a rich source of ascorbic acid, polyphenols, minerals, vitamins and sugars. Recovery of these high-value nutrients may render the cashew apple processing sustainable and will further add value to the fruit waste. The authors herein review the sustainable application and benefit of cashew apple as a by- product of cashew nut production. © 2020 Barve Ketaki. Hosting by Science Repository. All rights reserved. Introduction Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is an evergreen tropical tree with its origin in north-east Brazil [1]. It was introduced in India by the Portuguese around 1590, mainly for its ability to control erosion observed along the coastal region [2]. The Cashew tree is a cash crop planted for cashew nut production. The cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrates, fats and vitamins A, D, E and K. It is also a source of minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron. The cashew kernels are consumed as snacks after roasting and are even processed for the production of different value-added products Currently the major players in the world for cashew nut production are India, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Brazil and Mozambique [3, 4]. Cashew Apple It is important to note the cashew fruit has two parts nut and cashew apple. The color of the apple turns into red, yellow or orange when ripe and the weight varies from 15-20 g or up to 200 g [5, 6]. The cashew apple is much larger than the nut, normally with a ratio of 1:8 and 1:10 [7]. Therefore, for every ton of cashew nut, approximately 5-10 tons of cashew apples are produced [8]. Unfortunately, the cashew apple is discarded during cashew nut production thereby generating a huge amount of waste. However, studies have shown that cashew apple is a rich source of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, carotenoids, phenolics, organic acids, and antioxidants [5, 8-12]. The major reason for fruit wastage is its astringent flavor and highly perishable nature. Generally, the ripe cashew apples are juicy, fibrous with very delicate skin and are eaten as such or sprinkled with salt and sugar. The high levels of reducing sugar (55 to 65 %, dry basis) in the fruit can be accounted for its perishable nature as it causes rapid spoilage due to microbial activity [13]. It is important to highlight that there is an immense need to utilize this rich and nutritious fruit and also prevent the associated economic loss. The authors herein, present a comprehensive review of the utilization of cashew apple and its applications in various industries. Challenges in Cashew Apple Processing The seasonal production of cashew apple is one of the major challenges in a cashew apple processing along with its astringent and acrid principles. The complete spoilage of cashew apple can occur within an hour after harvest and this perishable nature leads to the problem of