Development of an Herbal Tea as an Alternative Product Made from Cashew Nut Pellicle Sourced from an Industry in Korhogo

Abstract

Cashew nut pellicle is an agro-industrial by-product with potential for value-added beverage development. This study evaluated the feasibility of producing an herbal tea from three solid cashew nut pellicle extracts obtained from a processing company in Korhogo. Formulations containing 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, or 1 g of extract were infused in 100 mL of boiling distilled water for 5 or 15 minutes. Infusion performance, microbiological quality, sensory acceptability, physicochemical characteristics, and phytochemical composition were assessed using the methods described in the study. A 15-minute infusion generally produced higher infusion rates, ranging from 42.67 ± 0.58% to 100 ± 0.00%. The formulated extracts met the microbiological criteria applied in the study. Sensory assessment by 40 untrained panellists, followed by principal component analysis, identified nine herbal teas with favourable sensory profiles, with stronger overall preference for formulations prepared from extracts E2 and E3. The selected teas had pH values of 4.78–5.46, dry matter contents of 0.47–3.44%, Brix values of 0.20–0.93 °Bx, fat contents of 0.12–2.07%, total sugar contents of 0.16–0.26 mg/mL, and reducing sugar contents of 0.01–0.12 mg/mL. Total polyphenol, flavonoid, and tannin contents varied among formulations. These findings indicate that cashew nut pellicle extracts can be formulated as an herbal tea under the conditions evaluated, providing a potential route for value addition to this processing by-product.