Relationship between color and physico-chemical properties of cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale L.) at different days of storage

Abstract

Cashew is a fruiting specimen exported from different countries, including Venezuela, due to its high nutritional value and unique taste. However, only the fruit (cashew nut) is considered the most used part for consumption while the pseudo-fruit (cashew apple) is discarded due to its strong taste and smell. This study is based on the changes that occur in the physical and chemical composition of the pseudo-fruit of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) in different days of storage (0, 3, 6, 9, 12) related to the color analysis of the pseudo-fruit. Image analysis was performed using the CIELab color space, which revealed different maturity stages for samples from day 0 to day 12. Nevertheless, antioxidant activity refers to ascorbic acid, and polyphenols content showed a degradation before day 6 of storage. These results prove that cashew apples can be stored for long-term at room temperature (25 °C), but the color and physico-chemical properties suffer some changes decreasing their nutritional value after day 6 of storage. A correlation between image analysis and chemical parameters can be used to evaluate the optimal maturity stage in samples.