cashew nuts

الوصف

SUN DRY CASHEW NUTS

Cashew (Anacardium Occidentale L.) is a tree crop of considerable economic importance to Nigeria and other tropical countries. Apart from being a source of useful products and byproducts for food, medicinal and industrial applications, cashew gives also a useful shade, while ornamental and alley trees are suitable for the control of soil erosion, particularly for the protection of watersheds and dams.
Harvest: Cashew nut setting begins in the middle of dry season, while harvesting takes place mainly in February or March. The entire harvest period occupies about *6 weeks. In the Eastern and Western parts of the country, where quality cashew nuts are grown, nuts are allowed to drop to the ground before they are collected. This practice ensures that only ripe nuts are collected. Nuts normally fall to the ground with their apples attached; the two are normally separated with a twisting action during collection. The remnants of the apple flash adhering to the nuts are removed with a sharp knife. After picking, the nuts are dried in the sun for 2 to 3 days, to reduce their moisture content to about *2 %. Properly dried nuts are packed in jute bags and can be kept for 6 to *0 months, if stored in suitable condition.
Locations: Major cashew growing areas in Nigeria are, by order of importance: Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Cross River States in the eastern part of the country; Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun States in the Western part, as well as Kwara, Kogi, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Niger and FCT in the Middle Belt and also Sokoto and Kebbi States in the North West part of the country. The majority of export quality nuts come from the Western and Eastern parts of the country.
i. Nut count ******0 per kg
ii. Moisture content ***0% max
iii. Defective nuts *5% max
iv. Float Rate *8% max
v. Admixture 0.*5% max
vi. Foreign matter 0.*5% max
vii. KoR, or shelling out-turn ****0 Ibs/bag
Uses: The cashew nut is a popular snack, and its rich flavor means that it is often eaten on its own, lightly salted or sugared. In addition to this, cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a by-product of processing cashew, is mostly composed of anacardic acids. These acids have been used effectively against tooth abscesses due to their lethality to bacteria.
Export market: The major buyers of cashew nut from Nigeria are mainly India and Singapore. Smaller percentage goes to Europe.
Cashew Nut Specifications In Detail
The crop season in West Africa is from March to June.
There is not a general standard for cashew nuts but some parameters can establish the quality of the cashew and the appreciation on the market
1 - Out-turn / Yield
It is the quantity of cashew kernel that can be obtained after decorticating (remove the shell of a cashew nut) *0 kg of raw cashew nuts. The count is in pounds per *0kg.
A good out turn is from *3 to *8 lbs
An excellent out turn is from *8 to *5 lbs
*-. Nut count
It is the number or raw cashew nuts per kg
**0 excellent
******0 very good
******0 good
******0 middle
******0 low middle
**0 limit acceptable- lower: poor
Please note that:
- It is necessary to balance this information with the out-turn
- In West Africa most of the raw cashew nuts, depending the year, have a nut count from **0 to **0.
*- Moisture / Humidity
For export *2% and less otherwise there are risks for the goods during the shipping                    
*- Foreign matter *5% max
*- Defective owe  than *0%
*- Float Rate-This is the total number of cashew nuts that will float when poured into water.  A good float rate is *8%max
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