Post by Trade Forum on Jul 10, 2022 9:18:54 GMT 1
How Nigeria can turn its huge cashew waste into valuable product - citric acid
Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of cashew nuts in the world, but surprisingly exports more than 80% of its raw cashews primarily to Vietnam and India. In these countries they are processed into various consumer products such as butter, food and cosmetic ingredients.
But Africa’s most populous country can extract more economic value out of cashews by using their wastes to produce citric acid.
Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC (CH₂CO₂H)₂. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic organisms. Wikipedia.
Cashew is a tropical tree cultivated for its fruit (cashew nut) and pseudo fruit (cashew apple). The nut is the major reason for planting cashew – it is very nutritious. The fleshy “apple” part yields a juice which is high in vitamins and minerals.
But the juice is high in anti-nutrients too. These are compounds that prevent the body from absorbing nutrients. They also make the juice less palatable. Because of this, cashew apples are mostly discarded.
Anti-nutrients are plant compounds that reduce the body's ability to absorb essential nutrients. They may not be a major concern for most people, but may become a problem during periods of malnutrition.
Cashew nuts themselves are not toxic, but they are surrounded by a shell that consists of the toxic oil urushiol. If the body comes into contact with urushiol, it can cause itching, blisters, and skin rashes.
Urushiol is the reason cashews are never sold in the shell and are typically roasted. The oil is found on the outer shell and roasting the cashews at high temperatures can kill any remaining oil that makes its way through to the nut.
The apple pulp, shell and liquid from the shell are all wasted or underutilized in Nigeria. Yet, these are valuable materials and they can be improved by biotechnology.
Citric acid is highly valuable and widely used to preserve blood, drugs and processed foods and drinks. Its global value is expected to reach US$4 billion in 2027. Nigeria is yet to tap into this market.
Cashews in Nigeria
Nigeria currently harvests 200,000 to 240,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts every year, but about 80% of this is exported raw. Nigeria is no different from other African countries that export the bulk of their cashew production as raw cashew nuts.
Africa, with production capacity of 2,334,405 tons, is the world’s largest producer and exporter of raw cashew nuts.
This accounts for more than 50% of world production. Between 2000 and 2018, world trade in raw cashew nuts more than doubled to 2.1 million tons, and African producers – led by Côte d’Ivoire – accounted for almost two-thirds of the growth. In 2020, trade in cashew nuts was worth US$6.87 billion.
Available records show that cashew farming contributes about N24 billion (about US$58 million) to the Nigerian economy yearly. It also employs more than 600,000 people.
The country can achieve more with cashew if it decides to take the bull by the horns. Reports show that citric acid can be produced from cashew apple juice, which is abundant in Nigeria.
Domestic production would save Nigeria US$31 million a year in foreign exchange, based on citric acid imports for 2020.
Nigeria is the largest importer of citric acid and most of the imports are from India and China.
Nigeria can produce citric acid from cashew apple juice by using biotechnology - the science of using biological processes to produce valuable materials and services.
Citric acid from cashew
The demand for citric acid is growing in Nigeria because of its usefulness in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. New sources of nutrients are needed to grow microorganisms that produce citric acid.
The country should not be left behind in the race to tap into the multi-billion dollar business enjoyed by few countries while we have the raw materials in abundance.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
But Africa’s most populous country can extract more economic value out of cashews by using their wastes to produce citric acid.
Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC (CH₂CO₂H)₂. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic organisms. Wikipedia.
Cashew is a tropical tree cultivated for its fruit (cashew nut) and pseudo fruit (cashew apple). The nut is the major reason for planting cashew – it is very nutritious. The fleshy “apple” part yields a juice which is high in vitamins and minerals.
But the juice is high in anti-nutrients too. These are compounds that prevent the body from absorbing nutrients. They also make the juice less palatable. Because of this, cashew apples are mostly discarded.
Anti-nutrients are plant compounds that reduce the body's ability to absorb essential nutrients. They may not be a major concern for most people, but may become a problem during periods of malnutrition.
Cashew nuts themselves are not toxic, but they are surrounded by a shell that consists of the toxic oil urushiol. If the body comes into contact with urushiol, it can cause itching, blisters, and skin rashes.
Urushiol is the reason cashews are never sold in the shell and are typically roasted. The oil is found on the outer shell and roasting the cashews at high temperatures can kill any remaining oil that makes its way through to the nut.
The apple pulp, shell and liquid from the shell are all wasted or underutilized in Nigeria. Yet, these are valuable materials and they can be improved by biotechnology.
Citric acid is highly valuable and widely used to preserve blood, drugs and processed foods and drinks. Its global value is expected to reach US$4 billion in 2027. Nigeria is yet to tap into this market.
Cashews in Nigeria
Nigeria currently harvests 200,000 to 240,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts every year, but about 80% of this is exported raw. Nigeria is no different from other African countries that export the bulk of their cashew production as raw cashew nuts.
Africa, with production capacity of 2,334,405 tons, is the world’s largest producer and exporter of raw cashew nuts.
This accounts for more than 50% of world production. Between 2000 and 2018, world trade in raw cashew nuts more than doubled to 2.1 million tons, and African producers – led by Côte d’Ivoire – accounted for almost two-thirds of the growth. In 2020, trade in cashew nuts was worth US$6.87 billion.
Available records show that cashew farming contributes about N24 billion (about US$58 million) to the Nigerian economy yearly. It also employs more than 600,000 people.
The country can achieve more with cashew if it decides to take the bull by the horns. Reports show that citric acid can be produced from cashew apple juice, which is abundant in Nigeria.
Domestic production would save Nigeria US$31 million a year in foreign exchange, based on citric acid imports for 2020.
Nigeria is the largest importer of citric acid and most of the imports are from India and China.
Nigeria can produce citric acid from cashew apple juice by using biotechnology - the science of using biological processes to produce valuable materials and services.
Citric acid from cashew
The demand for citric acid is growing in Nigeria because of its usefulness in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. New sources of nutrients are needed to grow microorganisms that produce citric acid.
The country should not be left behind in the race to tap into the multi-billion dollar business enjoyed by few countries while we have the raw materials in abundance.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
