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Antioxidant potential nut of cashew (Anacardium occidentale l.) in different stages of growth

Abstract:

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), has a nut that is marketed toast, with excellent concentrations of oleic acid (Omega 9) and other phytochemicals with nutritional and antioxidant characteristics. The objective was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the Cashew (A. occidentale) nut at various stages of growth. The research was carried out at CESID Fruticola y Apicola of CORPOZULIA, Mara municipality, Zulia state, Venezuela. The experimental design was randomized blocks, following the methodology of measures repeated over time (MRT) in order to study the longitudinal behavior of the eight stages of the fruit, during six crops. Ten plants were selected from which 10 fruits.stage-1.plant-1 treatment-1 were harvested. SAS® software version 9.1.3 was used to process the data. Vitamin C, total phenols, total flavonoids and antioxidant capacity were determined by the methods of Tillmans (AOAC), Folin & Ciocalteau, NaNO2, AlCl3 y ABTS, respectively. The results indicated that the early dwarf CCP-76, showed the highest concentration of Vitamin C (5.78 mg of ascorbic acid.100 g of the nut-1), total phenols (12.72 mg of gallic acid.100 g of the nut-1), total flavonoids (7.53 mg of catechin. 100 g of the nut-1) and antioxidant capacity (95.61 μmol AE.g of the nut-1), in the last two stages. The excellent concentration of the secondary metabolites presents in all stages of development and growth of the nut of Cashew, of the four cultivars; they confer antioxidant properties constituting it as a natural and functional food for human nutrition.