Cashew apple, which is rich in nutrients, is highly perishable. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the chemical, physicochemical and microbiological stability of cashew apple juice kept at room temperature for 24 h, refrigerated for seven days or frozen for 120 days. The ascorbic acid content in fresh cashew apple juice was 147.29 ± 0.41 mg/ 100 mL and decreased 6.57% when kept under room temperature. In the juices stored when refrigerated and when frozen, a reduction rate of ascorbic acid was 1.16%/day and 0.05%/day, respectively. The chemical and physicochemical parameters remained stable. In the juice kept at room temperature, an increase in the count of mesophile bacteria and yeasts and moulds was observed. In the juices stored when refrigerated for seven days, mesophile bacteria counts decreased and yeast and mould counts increased. In the frozen juices, the yeast and mould counts remained lower than the initial counts, while mesophile bacteria showed variation until the thirtieth day and remained stable in less than one logarithmic cycle above the initial count. Throughout the study period, refrigeration and freezing were efficient for ascorbic acid and microbiological quality preservation of the cashew apple juice.
cashew apple juice; ascorbic acid; microbiological quality; storage
