Impact of Cultivation Areas and Analysis Site on the Nutritional Quality of Cashew Apples (Anacardium Occidentale L.) Grown in Côte d'Ivoire

The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of cultivation areas and analysis sites (in situ and laboratory) on the physicochemical composition of cashew apples. To this end, cashew apples collected from three regions (Bélier, Kabadougou, and Gontougo) were analyzed: one part of the cashew apples was analyzed on site and the other part was transported to the laboratory where the extracted juice was analyzed. The biochemical analyses focused on pH, titratable acidity, soluble dry extract, and vitamin C. The results showed that all the apple juices were acidic with a pH ranging from 3.35 to 3.93. The titratable acidity varied from 59.50 to 97.67; the sugar contents varied between 09.30°Brix and 13.00°Brix. Vitamin C was also present with contents ranging from 145.57 mg/100mL to 205.50 mg/100mL. Analysis of variance showed significantly different means from one region to another and from one analysis site to another.