PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL STABILITY OF FROZEN CASHEW PULP.
Cashew stands out among the fruit species native to the Northeast of Brazil, as it has a high potential for fresh consumption and industrial processing. Pulp and juice are important components of the human diet because they are considered a natural source of carbohydrates, carotenoids, vitamins and phenolic compounds, substances with high antioxidant potential. The objective of this work was to study the stability of the frozen cashew pulp without the addition of preservatives and without pasteurization during 4 months of storage, through the monthly monitoring of the variation of the physicochemical characteristics. PH and soluble solids varied over time but remained within the standards of the legislation. The acidity showed a small variation with storage. The amount of reducing sugars remained around 10.79 to 20.36%. Thus, the freezing of unpasteurized and preservative-free cashew pulps is feasible, since there were no significant losses in the physical-chemical attributes analyzed.