Carotenoids and ascorbic acid from cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale L.): variety and geographic effects

Cashew apple is the pseudofruit of the cashew tree, native to Brazil. Different varieties of cashew apple were collected in Brazil, three being from Piauı́ State (Northeast) and two from São Paulo State (Southeast). In all the fruits, β-carotene (16.6–67.9 μg/100 g), β-cryptoxanthin (7.7–64.4 μg/100 g), α-carotene (5.9–51.9 μg/100 g) and 9-cis- + 13-cis-β-carotene (3.3–15.6 μg/100 g) were found. In general, the levels of carotenoids were higher in the red than in the yellow cashew apples, from both regions; for example, the levels of α- and β-carotene were about 1.8 and 1.3 times higher in the red than in the yellow fruits from the Southeast and Northeast, respectively. In contrast, ascorbic acid (AA) values were slightly higher in the yellow variety. Elongated red and yellow fruits also presented slightly higher AA contents than the rounded red ones. The total carotenoid levels of the rounded red fruits were 1.5 and 1.7 times lower than those found in the yellow and red varieties, respectively, all being from the Northeast region. Yellow fruits from the Northeast presented 1.7 times higher provitamin A levels than those from the Southeast whereas, for the red variety, the values were similar. The yellow and red varieties from the Northeast showed non statistically higher AA levels than those from the Southeast.