AVALIAÇÃO DA DESTANIZAÇÃO DO PEDÚNCULO DE CAJU (Anacardium occidentale) POR EXPOSIÇÃO A VAPOR DE ETANOL

Abstract

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) has great socioeconomic importance, especially in the Northeast region, due to its great adaptation to the region's climate, soil and planting capacity in the off-season. Consuming raw cashew stalks has many health benefits, as it contains many vitamins and minerals. However, most of the cultivated peduncles are not used, due to the high perishability and astringency, which is an aspect responsible for the low acceptance of the pseudofruit. The “rancid” sensation on the palate is caused by the high tannin content. To increase the acceptance of the stalk by the consumer, destanization processes can be evaluated, including the use of ethyl alcohol vapor to insolubilize the molecules that cause astringency. In this way, the objective was to determine the effectiveness of using ethanol vapor in the destanization of cashews (Anacardium occidentale) of the early dwarf variety. Destanization was carried out in vacuum-sealed desiccators with the samples coming into contact with ethyl alcohol vapor for 24 and 48 hours. The peduncles were characterized by analysis of soluble solids content, titratable acidity, mass loss and gain index, phenolic compounds and condensed tannins. It was found that there was a change in the color of the peel due to the decomposition of carotenoids, ethanol also contributed to preventing the appearance of mold, the soluble solids levels were not affected and the titratable acidity levels were lower in the destanized samples. The phenolic content was reduced in samples that came into contact with ethanol vapor. Regarding the content of condensed tannins, the samples subjected to ethanol vapor showed complete detanninization after 24 hours. Finally, destanization was more effective within 24 hours, as there is less change in color on the surface of the fruit and in the firmness of the fruit.