Abstract
This study aimed to determine the volatile profile of cashew apple fibers to verify which compounds are still present after successive washings and thus might be responsible for the undesirable remaining cashew-like aroma present in this co-product, which is used to formulate food products like vegetarian burgers and cereal bars. Fibers were obtained from cashew apple juice processing and washed five times in an expeller press. Compounds were analyzed by the headspace solid-phase micro extraction technique (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), using a DB-5 column. Sensory analysis was also performed to compare the intensity of the cashew-like aroma of the fibers with the original juice. Altogether, 80 compounds were detected, being esters and terpenes the major chemical classes. Among the identified substances, 14 were classified as odoriferous in the literature, constituting the matrix used in the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Odoriferous esters were substantially reduced, but many compounds were extracted by the strength used in the expeller press and remained until the last wash. Among them are the odoriferous compounds ethyl octanoate, γ-dodecalactone, (E)-2-decenal, copaene, and caryophyllene that may contribute for the mild but still perceptible cashew apple aroma in the fibers that have been pressed and washed five times. Development of a deodorization process should include reduction of pressing force and stop at the second wash, to save water and energy, thus reducing operational costs and contributing to process sustainability.
Highlights
Brazilian agribusiness is an ever-growing economic sector
The headspace solid-phase micro extraction technique (HS-SPME) technique, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS), enabled the detection of a total of 80 volatile compounds in the analyzed samples (Table 1), 37 of which were originally present in the cashew juice
This study showed that the fibers resulting from the processing of cashew apple juice presented a rich fraction of volatile compounds, even after successive washings
Summary
Brazilian agribusiness is an ever-growing economic sector. Fruit harvesting has been intensively representing this agricultural sector as a result of increased professionalization, exploitation of larger areas, irrigation and the development of new technologies, with the aim of improving quantitative and qualitative fruit production. Many companies have been investing in tropical fruit processing, looking for the complete utilization of the product. Northeastern Brazil has a special predominance in this international agribusiness. In this region, the cashew commodity chain generates some 200 thousand tons of nuts and two million tons of apples. The cashew apple’s industrial use generates fibrous residues (fibers) that are commonly reused to enrich animal feed or discarded, due to the lack of monetary incentive for its use as a human food [1]
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