Enhancement of the Shelf-life of Deep Fat Fried Cashewnuts

Fried cashewnuts were treated with antioxygenic salt and stored at 37°C in polypropylene packs. Treatment with antioxygenic salt considerably retarded the rate of autoxidation of fat in fried cashewnuts, as indicated by changes in peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid value, fatty acid composition, overall acceptability and concentration of steam-volatile carbonyls. During storage, the concentrations of all the carbonyls increased but increases in the concentration of pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, hexenal, heptenal, octenal and 2,4-decadienals were greatest. Most of the aldehydes were formed from the oxidative degradation of linoleic and linolenic acids which decreased on storage. Antioxygenic salt enhanced the shelf-life of fried cashewnuts by two- to threefold.