Comm'l products from cashew apple

A village-level technology that can process cashew apple into commercial products is now benefiting cashew planters in Palawan and some parts of the country.

Until the technology was crafted by researchers of the Western Philippine University (WPU) in Aborlan, Palawan, cashew apple was regarded as a waste after the nut has been removed.

Now, the technology enables cashew growers to produce commercial products such as wine and prune out of the juicy apple.

WPU researchers, led by Estrelle Equiña, employed the natural extraction of the juice from the cashew apple.

This is done through the so-called osmetic process wherein the natural fibers and membranes of the pulp filter the undesirable organic components that are responsible for the astringent and acrid taste of the juice.

In the project supported by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and WPU, the extracted juice is used to produce wine while the remaining pulp is processed into prune.

“The wine is sparkling yellowish-brown when formented from the juice extract of the cashew apple and becomes reddish-brown upon aging for more that a year,” noted the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), as reported by Rita T. dela Cruz.

The cashew wine contains 10-12 percent ethyl alcohol.

The cashew prune is brownish-black and sweet-sour in taste.

The technology has subsequently been adopted by the Turbudan Food Processor, a registered business entity based in WPU, to commercialize the production of cashew wine and prune.

The technology’s facility, as reported by Equiña, can process 300 kilogram of cashew apple in a day.

“Production output is 30 percent recovery yield for wine and 25 percent for the prunes, which is equivalent to an annual production of 8,353 bottles of wine and 3,264 kg of prunes,” she said.

The technology has also been adopted by Rural Improvement Clubs (RIC) in some parts of the country, among them those in Bataan, Zambales, Palawan, Roxas City (Capiz), and Cagayan de Oro City.

Summing up, Equiña said that cashew apple is gradually gaining economic value of more than four times the value of the nuts. It has also been contributing significantly to the creation of jobs in the countryside. – Rudy A. Fernandez