Carnauba wax uses in food - A review.

Carnauba wax is widely used in food, due to its physico-chemical characteristics with a predominance of esters and inert and stable components. Even with so many possibilities for the use of carnauba wax in food, there are still a large number of researchers around the world searching for new applications and a demand for new products with new technologies to improve existing ones. Recently, many parts of research which focus on the use of this wax in conservation and food processing have been carried out, some of which highlight the role of this wax in the microencapsulation of flavours, in preparing edible films and super hydrophobic and biodegradable packaging. This paper discusses the use of carnauba wax in food, including the extraction process of the wax, its chemical and physical characteristics, safety aspects, national and international law and permitted uses, along with the presentation of the main scientific research conducted.

In vitro bioaccessibility of copper, iron, zinc and antioxidant compounds of whole cashew apple juice and cashew apple fibre (Anacardium occidentale L.) following simulated gastro-intestinal digestion.

Considering the lack of research studies about nutrients' bioaccessibility in cashew apple, in this study the whole cashew apple juice and the cashew apple fibre were submitted to simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The samples were analysed before and after digestion and had their copper, iron, zinc, ascorbic acid, total extractable phenols and total antioxidant activity assessed. As a result, for the whole cashew apple juice, the content of copper and iron minerals bioaccessible fraction were 15% and 11.5% and for zinc this level was 3.7%. Regarding the cashew apple fibre, the bioaccessible fraction for these minerals was lower than 5%. The ascorbic acid, total extractable polyphenols and total antioxidant activity bioaccessible fraction for whole cashew apple juice showed bioaccessibility percentages of 26.2%, 39% and 27%, respectively, while for the cashew apple fibre, low bioaccessibles levels were found. The bioacessible percentage of zinc, ascorbic acid and total extractable polyphenols were higher in cashew apple juice than cashew apple fibre.

POLYPHENOLS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CASHEW NUTS FROM CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC CULTIVATION IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF PROCESSING

This research aimed to determine the total extractable polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of cashew nut obtained from conventional and organic cultivation. The study was performed with cashew nuts collected at four stages of processing: after shelling, before peeling, after peeling and during packaging. The antioxidant activity was measured by the methods with the radicals ABTS•+ and DPPH• and by the ß-carotene/linoleic acid system. The nuts collected in the steps after shelling and before peeling presented higher antioxidant activity than those collected after peeling and during packaging. Little variation occurred in the content of total extractable polyphenols and antioxidant activity by ABTS•+ and DPPH• assays between the two cultivation methods studied.

Characterization and antioxidant activity of cashew nut bran in different stages of processing

The present work aimed to characterize the cashew nut bran during several stages of processing, withemphasis in the quantifi cation of total extractable polyphenols and total antioxidant activity. The cashewnut bran was analyzed for the following parameters: water activity, total acidity, pH, moisture, ash, lipids,proteins, carbohydrates, total extractable polyphenolsand total antioxidant activity by the methods ABTS•+ and DPPH•. There was a decrease in the water activityand moisture in cashew nut bran during processing. The highest values of total extractable polyphenolsand antioxidant activity were observed in raw bran due to peel adhered in these nuts.