FRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF CASHEW SPLITS

Split cashew kernels are subjected to frying at different temperatures (140–180C) and time of frying (0–240 s), and different product attributes such as color, texture and sensory attributes have been determined. The dominant wavelength or hue of raw cashew sample is 593.2 nm, while it varies between 593.0 and 600.6 nm for fried samples. Brightness decreases due to frying, while chroma increases markedly. The instrumental texture parameters are characterized by indices like maximum force, firmness, energy for shearing, engineering strain at shear failure and the number of major fractures prior to complete shearing. Raw cashew shows higher maximum force values compared with fried samples, while the latter exhibits brittleness as evidenced by more number of major fractures prior to shearing compared with the raw sample. The extent of brittleness depends on the conditions of the frying process. Sensory assessments indicate that a frying temperature between 160 and 180C and frying time of 150–180 s produce fried cashew kernel splits of acceptable quality.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Fried cashew is an important snack in the international market mostly for its delicious taste and attractive soft texture. The present paper is focused on the quality attributes of fried cashew splits with particular references to appearance/color, texture and sensory evaluation such that the generated data and findings are useful for the development of cashew nut‐based fried products.