Evaluation of cashew varieties for RTS beverage and jam

Abstract

Cashew apple, weighing 8-10 times that of nut is usually wasted even though it is highly nutritious, with a few exceptions in places like Goa. The present study conducted at Cashew Research Station, Madakkathara, during 2016-17, aimed at screening varieties suitable for the preparation of cashew apple RTS drink and jam. Thirteen cashew varieties were selected for the study of which twelve varieties released from Kerala Agricultural University namely Madakathara 2, Damodhar, Amrutha, Poornima, Priyanka, Sulabha, Kanaka, Panama, K-22-1, Dharasree, Dhana and Raghav, and one variety Vridhachalam-3 from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University), and products were prepared. The qualitative analysis of fresh cashew apple, products and sensory evaluation of the two products using 9-point Hedonic scale were carried out. The results revealed that the variety Vridhachalam-3 contained the highest TSS (14.2 ºB); Amrutha, the lowest amount of tannin (0.23%); Panama, the lowest titrable acidity (0.25%); Sulabha, the highest vitamin C (295.70mg/100g) and K-22-1, the maximum juice yield (95.75%). When products were subjected to qualitative analysis, it was found that for RTS drink, variety Dhana gave the maximum TSS (23.2 ºB); K-22-1, Amrutha, Dharasree and Madakkathara-2, the minimum acidity ( 0.26%) and K-22-1, the highest vitamin C (61.72 mg/100g). In case of jam the variety Dharasree had the highest TSS (80 ºB), Amrutha, Raghav and Poornima had the minimum titrable acidity (0.26%) and Panama had the highest vitamin C (18.60mg/100g). The sensory evaluation of products revealed Poornima and Vridhachalam-3 as the best varieties for the preparation of cashew apple RTS drink and jam, respectively. The shelf life studies indicated that the RTS beverage of all the cashew varieties could be stored up to two weeks under the refrigerated condition and jam for five months under room temperature.