CASHEW SEED AND OIL COMPOSITION

The botanical and growth characteristics of the cashew, its ecological needs, cultivation and growing techniques, phytosanitary defence, its products and their utilization, etc., have been recently described by Agnoloni and Giuliani (1977).

In the past few years production of cashew nuts has become very important especially for developing countries.

In the decade spanning the years from 1963 to 1972 the harvest has increased by approximately 40 per cent as compared to the previous decade; only in 1977 a 25 per cent decrease was experienced in the importation of cashew nuts by non producing countries and this is due only to an exceptional rise in the price of the nuts which occurred in that year. Otherwise, today's demand for shelled products appear to be on the increase.

Italy is not in the forefront of importing countries even though domestic consumption has increased in recent years.

The increase in consumption of cashew nut in Italy is mainly due to the efforts of Oltremare, S.P.A., Zola Predosa (Bologna), who, as well as importing the nuts, manufactures shelling plants and equipment for separating, the kernel from its wrapping.

Since 1969 Institute for Agricultural Industries has begun to interest itself in the chemical and physico-chemical characteristics of cashew seed and germ and also with testing the plant manufactured by Oltremare S.P.A.

During this same period other university institutes have carried out research on the nutritional aspects of the kernel (Piana et al. 1971 and 1972; Piana, Piva and Santi, 1974; Piva, Santi and Ekpenyong, 1971) and on the composition of the pericarp liquid (CNSL) (Kaufmann and Barve, 1967).

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