Industrialization of Cashew in the state of Ceara, Brazil Item Type Article Authors Price, Ralph L.; de Holanda, Luciano Flavio Frota; de Anchieta Moura Fé, José Publisher College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Journal Progressive Agriculture in Arizona Rights Copyright © Arizona Board of Regents. The University of Arizona. Download date 26/09/2021 04:02:06 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/300508 Industrialization of Cashew in thestateof Ceara, Brazil by Ralph L. Price, Luciano Flavio Frota de Holanda and José de Anchiéta Moura Fé The cashew tree, Anacardium occi-leaves and blossoms and a decay offruit, is encased in a hard, but resilient dentaleL.,isnativetonortheastforming fruit. All of these factors con-kidney- shaped shell, which hangs sus- Brazil from where it has spread totribute to a considerable reduction inpended from the soft, pulpy, peduncle other partsof South and Central yield. ( cashew apple ). The cashew apple America.Itwasintroducedinto Each tree averages 30-40 feet inhas a distinctive aroma and is either southeast Africa and India by theheight, starts producing in the thirdred or yellow with an orange mixture Portuguese to help control erosion andyear, and when mature, after aboutof the two appearing frequently. This has since been planted extensively in 15 years, may produce 50 -100 pounds color difference has been the basis of these areas. Because of its sensitivityof nuts. Because of the open nature ofthe only varietal differentiation used. to cold, especially when young, growththe foliage, cashew trees can be grownAnother important difference in is limited to tropical areas, the treewith another crop, the young treescashew apple is in the taste of the being cultivated in the U.S. only inwith beans, cotton, corn or casavajuice, which is either sour, sweet, or southernmost Florida. and the mature trees with pasture. Anrancid( astringent ). Because of the The tree grows well in sandy coastalexperiment at the present time by theuniversal practice of propagation from soils, needs very little attention, andUniversity of Ceará at the Ministry ofseed, extreme variabiilty in size and does well with 30 -40 inches of rain-Agriculture farm in Pacajús, Ceará, isshape of both the nut and apple is fall per year. Rainfall exceeding thismeasuring the effect of pasture andseen. Attempts to standardize nut size amount, especially during the time oflivestock productioninestablishedby plant breeding have been hindered blossoming, promotes the growth ofcashew orchards. by the heterozygous nature of the anthracnose which results in a fall of The cashew nut, which is the trueplant, and attemptsatgrafting of proven plants have usually resulted in Table 1. Average Quantity of Cashew Nuts Shelled by Individual rejection of the graft by the tree. Suc- cessful grafts of cashew trees carried Firms in Ceará. out by Dr. LeMoyne Hogan of the Firm Name Location Metric Tons /YearUniversity of Arizona in conjunction Brasil Oiticica Fortaleza 7.000 Fortaleza Agro - Industrial S.A. with the personnel of the Pacajús Ex- (FRISA) Fortaleza 6.000 perimental Station and the University Caju do Brasil S.A. (Cajubras) Fortaleza /Pacajús 5.000 of Ceará may help lessen variability Oliveira Cavalcante e Cia. in future plantings. (OLICAL) Fortaleza 3.000 Companhia Brasileira Industrial Although Brazil produces only 5 de Castanha (COBICA) Fortaleza 2.200 percent of the world's cashews, its Cascaju Cascavel 3.000 productionisexpected to increase Casa Quirino Rodrigues Sobral 2.000 greatly in the next few years because Katu do Brasil S.A. Fortaleza 2.000 Ind. e Agr. Castanha e Oleos of the emphasis and subsidies which (IACOL) Bela Cruz 2.000 are being given to this crop by the Companhia Industrial Oleos do Brazilian Government. Another factor Nordeste (CIONE) Fortaleza 4.000 which has given added impetus to the Incassa Sobral 1.200 Indústria Agr. Castanha do Nordeste (ICANORTE) Marco 600 'Assistant Professor, University of Arizona Araújo e Alves - Lindoia Fortaleza 2.000 Advisor in Food Science, USAID Contract Exportadora Pontes Ltda. Fortaleza 1.000 LA -145; Associate Professor in Food Tech - Caucaia Industrial S.A. Caucaia 2.300 nology Universidade Federal do Ceará, For- Castanha de Caju do Nordeste taleza,Brazil; Former Graduate Student, (CAJUNORTE) Bela Cruz 500 University of Arizona, Associate Professor in Camará Agro -Industrial Pacajús 2.000 Food Technology, Universidade Federal do Source: CODEC Companhia de Desenvolvimento do Estado do Ceará Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil. 13 increased production of cashew has been the more than 50 percent in- crease in 1973 of the price of the shelled cashew nut and the 65 per- cent increase in the price of its major by- product, cashew nut shell liquid, on the world market. This increase in supply will be welcomed by the cashew industry of Ceará, which pro- duces about 68 percent of Brazil's cashew crop, because processing plants in the state have been operat- ing at about half capacity in recent years due to lack of raw material. At present theaverage q u a n t i t yof cashew nuts processed by each of the seventeen firms in Ceará isabout 3,000 metric tons. Products from the Cashew The shelled nut comes in various sizes, shapes, and shades and is the most important cashew product. Those nuts which have the highest market value are the large, unbroken, white kernels which have no evidence of spotting or of insect damage. The simple splitting of a kernel will de- crease the value of a given weight of the nuts by almost half with a cor- responding decrease in value for further breakage or darkening. The spongy interior of the cashew nut shell contains a substance known as cashew nut shell liquid( CNSL) which is very valuable for use in the formulation of plastics, paints, print- ing inks, and synthetic resins. It con- tains at least two phenolic compounds, anacardic acid and cardol, the latter being very irritating to the skin and eyes. Over 400 patents have been filed for the industrial use of this liquid, one of the most important being the manufacture of brake linings to whichFigure 1. A young three year -old cashew Industrialization of the it imparts excellent frictional and anti -tree which is planted under orchard con- fade characteristics. ditions. Cashew Apple The peduncle or pseudo -fruit( ca- shew apple) is very thin -skinned and Harvest of the Cashew Products that can be made from perishable, somewhat resembling a Generally the cashew nut and thethe juice and fruit are similar to those pear in size and shape. The juice andcashew apple do not mature simul- made from fruits in the U.S., i.e., jelly, fruit are very desirable to the inhabi-taneously. The nut requires a few ad-jams, various concentrations of turbid tants of Brazil, and the majority ofditional days to reach full maturity juices and nectars, and whole, canned the crop which is used is eaten in theand will be at its optimum ripenesscashew apples. The most popular item raw state. Extracted juice has a pHwhen the cashew apple has overis probably the bottled, pulpy juice of about 4, a titratable acidity of 0.14,ripened and together with the nut, hasfrom which a refreshing cashew drink a Brix of 8 -12, and has a very highfallen to the ground. If it is desired tocan be made by dilution with water content of Vitamin C, 200 -300 mg /cc, use the cashew apple, collection mustand addition of sugar and ice. This surpassing the citrus fruits in that re-be made every day. Otherwise, asdrink can also be prepared in season spect. Because of a fairly high tanninhappens in most cases, the cashewfrom the fresh cashew apple and is content, 0.4 percent, the juice has anapple is discarded, and only the nutliked by the majority of Brazilians. In astringent or puckering effect. Spilledis gathered. Eventually the nuts areaddition, two typical Brazilian pro- cashew juice produces an indeliblesold to a central collecting organiza-ducts are made, cajuína, a clear drink stain on clothing because of the re-tion which distributes them to eachmade by precipitating the tannins in action of tannins with the iron in thefirm according toitscapacity forthe juice with glue or gelatine, filter- wash water. shelling, sorting and packing. ing through nylon cloth, bottling and 14 sterilizing. This drink is somewhat like Figure 2.Mature bearing cashew on thesuming operations in the factory be- apple cider. Doce de Cajú, a semi -solid campus at Centro de Ciencias Agrarias,cause of the kidney -like shape of the dessert item, is made with the addi- Forteleza. The technician is Antenor Silva. nut, the resiliency of the shell, and tion of sugar, acid, and pectin to the because of the fragility of the kernel. pulp and concentrating to a Brix ofneeded they are removed from theIn one company in Ceará this opera- over 70 before packing and cooling.piles and are cleaned. tion has been mechanized, with the A small amount of cashew wine is In order to break down the spongytempered nuts being thrown at a cer- also made. It is estimated that lessarea within the shell and allow thetain angle against a whirling drum than 10 percent of the annual pro-release of the shell liquid( CNSL ), until broken. In all of the other fac- duction in Ceará of the cashew applethe nuts receive a heat treatment. Thetories in Ceará, the nut is opened by is used industrially with the rest eitherheat also causes the inner surface ofhand, the operator having two knives wasted or eaten by individuals. Onlythe shell to retract slightly from themounted in a small platform. Each one firm in Ceará has facilities forkernel, facilitating shelling. This treat- nut is placed in a slot, the knives utilization of the cashew apple.