Shelf-life extension of cashew apples (Anacardium occidentale) by chemical pretreatment using dip and dry method

Cashew apple, by-product of cashew nut processing industry, is rich in vitamins, polyphenols, sugars, minerals, amino acids and dietary fibres. Despite being highly nutritious, it is an underutilized fruit due to its high perishability and astringent taste. In this study, a shelf-life extension of cashew apples using chemical pre-treatment has been investigated. The effect of chemical pre-treatment using a solution containing calcium chloride, sodium chloride, and potassium meta-bisulphite was investigated and its effect on physicochemical parameters such as pH, total soluble solids, physiological weight loss, colour, texture, total phenolic content, antioxidant, vitamin C, and enzyme inhibition (%) were studied. The chemical pre-treatment showed retention of firmness (84.19%), vitamin C (89.38%), total phenolic content (85.67%) and antioxidant capacity (94.04%) which was significantly higher than the untreated samples. Also, inhibition of polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, amylase, cellulase, and pectinase was found to be more than 65% till the 10^th day. Thus, the present study describes the potential of chemical pre-treatment to extend the shelf-life of cashew apples and its utilization for food product development can be explored.