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https://theconversation.com/how-nigeria-can-turn-its-huge-cashew-waste-into-valuable-citric-acid-185320>
"Nigeria – the sixth largest producer of cashew nuts globally – exports more
than 80% of its raw cashews primarily to Vietnam and India where they are
processed into various consumer products such as butter, food and cosmetic
ingredients.
But Africa’s most populous nation can extract more economic value out of
cashews by using their wastes to produce citric acid.
Cashew is a tropical tree cultivated for its fruit (cashew nut) and pseudofruit
(cashew apple). The nut is the major reason for planting cashew – it is very
nutritious. The fleshy “apple” part yields a juice which is high in vitamins
and minerals.
But the juice is high in anti-nutrients too. These are compounds that prevent
the body from absorbing nutrients. They also make the juice less palatable.
Because of this, cashew apples are mostly discarded.
The apple pulp, shell and liquid from the shell are all wasted or
underutilised. Yet, these are valuable materials and they can be improved by
biotechnology.
We’ve been conducting work into the potential of producing citric acid from
cashew juice. It was the first effort globally to produce citric acid from
cashew juice. Citric acid is widely used to preserve blood, drugs and processed
foods and drinks. Its global value is expected to reach US$4 billion in 2027.
We used cashew from Ogbomoso, south west Nigeria, an area that produces some of
the best cashew nuts in Nigeria."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
