CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The cashew tree is evergreen, and serves as food to many in so many ways in that all the parts are consumable and they are highly medicinal. The trees are most frequent found in coastal areas.
Cashew is an economic crop in Nigeria and it has been grown in small plantations in Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Kwara, and Oyo and to a Leaser extent in Ogun, Osun, Delta, Ondo and other states. The main commercial product of the cashew tree is the cashew nut.
In early 90s, cashew nut accounted for N 156.1 million of non-oil export earnings in Nigeria, which continued to increase. Then years after according to CBN annual report, 1997. There are however, no doubt that with considerable increase in planted areas and further increase in world demand for cashew kernels. The cashew industry will continue to expand. However, despite the increase in production, it is only the nut that is mostly utilized in the processing industry.
It is estimated that 60% of the nuts are consumed in the form of snacks while the remains 40% are included in confectionary. About 75% of the nuts value contains essential oil.
Essential oils are odoriferous volatile oily products of plant origin, which are distillable. The esters are extracted from the nut, they be dissolved in a solvent such as water or alcohol or as an emulsion in an oil. The essential oil contained in the cashew nut could be extracted using steam distillation, solvent extraction, effleurage and expression. These extracts from plants are highly volatile and are considered essential part of the plant and hence, the term ‘essential oil’. These oils are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, trepans benzenoid, adehydes and keton, indole, acids, alcohols and short chain esters. The essential oil is analysis for quality, chemical, physical and organoleptic analysis sieved to determine the quality of the oil.
Odour and taste must remain the final criteria for the use industrially and for baking of food.