Cashew Tree Bark Secretion - Persectives for its Use in Protein Isolation Strategies

Abstract

The use of natural gums, taken from the exudates and extracts of plants, has been given a strong impulse due to both the many and lucrative possibilities for industrialization and to the excellent international market. A gum or resin of a yellowish color, soluble in water, and which presents a great potential for industrialization, appears on the trunk and branches of the cashew tree; that is known mainly for its nuts that are used as a food ingredient. Cashew gum interacts with water and it has emulsifier, adhesive and stabilizer properties, occurring in the form of pale yellow to reddish ambers. In cold water, it swells into a jelly like mass but dissolves rapidly when heated. The resin/gum secretory ducts that appear along the cashew tree bark were studied using histological procedures and microscopic observations. The gum was studied at its crude state and then chemically treated in order to obtain a kind of gel (microbiofilm).

On the Unique Morphology and Elastic Properties of Multi-Jet Electrospun Cashew Gum-Based Fiber Mats

“…This effect on PEO has not been reported before; however, spontaneous fiber orientation has been reported before, for instance in electrospun fibers based on polystyrene of a similar high molecular weight [74]. A contribution to significant fiber bundling seems also to be promoted by glycerol (see Control_3), possibly as a consequence of the interactions between the CG polysaccharide and the glycerol hydroxyl groups, which bring in efficient electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds, leading to strong self-association [14,75] as the solvent evaporates while flying towards the collector [76]. Moreover, the presence of glucuronic acid as an end residue in the branched galactan core of CG [12,[77][78][79], imparting a net polyanionic nature to the polysaccharide [12,14], may additionally contribute to the canceling out of the neat charge with the positive charges generated by the high voltage [70], thereby diminishing the overall electric field strength experienced by the biopolymer in its flights to the collector, hence helping to suppress the whipping motion and facilitating the strong bundling of the fibers.…”

Tensile and water vapour properties of calcium‐crosslinked alginate‐cashew tree gum films

“…Cashew tree gum (CTG) is a complex water soluble heteropolysaccharide exudated from ducts that appear along the cashew tree ( Anacardium occidentale ) bark (Miranda, 2009), although exudation also occurs from leaves, flowers and fruits (Bezerra et al. , 2007).…”