Cashew: nutrition, cultivation and uses

Maja Berden Zrimec
Anteja
Published in
5 min readJan 11, 2022

A pleasant taste and beneficial nutrition has put the cashews among the most popular nuts. Today, about 60% of cashew nuts are consumed in various snacks, mostly roasted and salted; and roughly 40% are used in the confectionary and bakery products, often as a substitute for the peanut and almond (1).

Cashew apple with the nut (Source: Wiki)

Nutrition and bioactive compounds

Raw cashews are very caloric: a 100 g portion will provide you with the substantial 553 kcal, 67% of the Daily Value (DV, Reference Daily Intake) of the total fats, 36% DV of protein, 13% DV of dietary fiber and 11% DV of carbohydrates (2,3). Cashew nut contains 1.4–30% carbohydrates (mostly 20–25%), 40–47% fat, 18–36% protein and only around 5% water (1,3). The contents vary according to the variety and environmental conditions.

Cashew nuts and products nutrition (Source: FDC)

Cashews are also rich sources of dietary minerals and contain significant amount of potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Many cover a large percentage of the Daily Value, particularly copper, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium (79–110% DV in 100 g portion), as well as vitamins B1 (thiamin), B6 and K (32–37% DV in 100 g portion) (2,3). Other important minerals are iron (51% DV), potassium (14% DV), zinc (61% DV), and selenium (28% DV) (2,3).

Minerals in cashew nuts and products (Source FDC).

Cashew nuts are a good source of amino acids, including all essential ones. The content of lysine and threonine is high enough to meet the requirements for adults (1). Most abundant amino acids are leucin, glutamic acid, arginin and aspartic acid (1, 2).

Vitamins and pigments in cashew nuts and products (Source: FDC).

The lipids are predominantly monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which can account for more than 80% of the total fatty acids (1,2,4). Beneficial oleic and linoleic acids are prevalent, with the former being the most abundant MUFA and one of the most readily metabolised fatty acids, and the latter the most abundant PUFA and precursor of prostaglandin, as well as an essential fatty acid (1). Cashew nuts can consequently lower the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease risks, also because of the presence of other bioactive compounds, like tocopherols, squalene, and phytosterols like beta-sitosterol (113 mg in 100 g portion) (1,3).

Amino acids’ content in cashew nuts and products (Source: FDC).

Cultivation

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is a relative of mango (Mangifera indica L.) and pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) in the Anacardiaceae family. Cashew trees are evergreen and can grow rapidly up to 20 m, but usually reach 8–12 m in height. They have male and hermaphrodite flowers on the same plant (5). Cashew nut grows on the end of accessory fruit (false fruit), also called cashew apple, which grows to 5–11 cm and ripens to be yellow or red.

The cashew tree grows in the tropical areas up to 1000 m, with an annual rainfall of 400–4,000 mm (5). It is well-adapted also to hot lowland areas with a pronounced dry season (3). It is native to North-east Brazil, but has been introduced to India and Africa during the 16th century by the Portuguese (5). Today, it is cultivated primarily in India, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Benin, Brazil and other countries of East and West Central Africa and South East Asia.

The traditional cashew tree takes three years to produce crop, and eight years before economic harvests can begin. Dwarf cashew trees, that are up to 6 m tall, start producing crop already after the first year, with the economic yields after three years (3). The yields are about 0.25 metric tons per hectare for traditional breed, and over a ton per hectare for the dwarf variety (3).

Uses

The kernel is usually eaten on its own, used in cooking, or processed into cheese or butter. Cashew apple is also nutritious and can be exploited in the preparation of various products. The powder of cashew apple pomace, obtained after extracting juice, can be utilised for the preparation of cookies (5). Pomace can be used as a partial substitution of animal feed (5). The pulp and juice can be processed into a sweet fruit drink or fermented and distilled into liquor (3). Cashew nut oil is a dark yellow oil derived from pressing the cashew nuts (typically lower value broken chunks), and is used for the cooking or salad dressing (3). Discarded cashew nuts can also be used to feed the livestock. Animals can also eat the leaves (3).

The cashew shell has a high amount of oil content and can be used like a raw material for the industrial applications, or for the production of high-value products for food, medicine, chemical and other industries (6). The shell derivatives can be used for lubricants, waterproofing, and paints (3). Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is an important industrial product obtained while processing the raw nuts (5). It is not edible, but a strong irritant and its utilisation depends on the industrial processing. The cashew apple waste is used as a form of energy bagasse’s, fermented cultures used in probiotics or for conditioning of the soil in agriculture (6).

Besides the economic benefits, growing of cashew trees can have a vital role in stabilising fragile ecosystems (5). Like many other cash crops (f.e. coffee), they are being used to establish heterogeneous landscapes harbouring mosaics of natural habitat and agriculture where animals can reside, increasingly gaining conservation focus in the tropics (7).

Sources:

1. Dendena B., Corsi S. (2014): Cashew, from seed to market: a review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 34:753–772; DOI 10.1007/s13593–014–0240–7

2. Food Data Central, USDA: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170162/nutrients

3. Cashew on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew

4. Krishna Kumar N. K., Saroj P.L. (2021): The Cashew — A Global Perspective. Chapter in book: The Cashew, ICAR-DKMA, New Delhi.

5. GCC — Global Cashew Council: https://www.cashews.org/en/cashew-information

6. Patade M.A., Gaikwad S.T., Pathare M., Nikhade Y. (2020): Utilization of cashew nut waste: Cashew apple and shell. International Journal of Chemical Studies 8(1): 2076–2078; DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i1ae.8570

7. Rege A., Punjabi G.A., Jathanna D., Kumar A. (2020): Mammals Make Use of Cashew Plantations in a Mixed Forest–Cashew Landscape. Frontiers in Environmental Science 8: Article 556942; doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2020.55694

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Anteja
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Published in Anteja

Blog posts about the world of value chain transparency

Maja Berden Zrimec
Maja Berden Zrimec

Written by Maja Berden Zrimec

PhD in biology, content writer, senior researcher and project manager, algae expert

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