Quality estimation of cashew gum in the production of chocolate pebbles

Abstract

Due to the limited supply and high cost of gum Arabic, cashew gum (CG) was assessed as a quick coating agent in
the production of chocolate pebbles, using gum from both young and mature cashew trees. Acute toxicity tests on
rats did not reveal any abnormal changes attributable to ingestion of CG. Pebbles produced with CG samples were
compared with those produced with gum Arabic. The ash contents of the three products ranged from 2.37 to 2.63%
and the moisture content from 2.33 to 2.76% whilst the sugar concentration ranged from 26.05 to 29.66%. The
microbial status of the three products conformed to specifications of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC). Physicochemical parameters determined showed significant differences among the three products (p < 0.05). Sensory
analysis showed no significant difference among products in terms of flavour, hardness and smoothness. The overall
acceptability of the products were similar and the mean scores were 7.4, 6.8 and 7.1 for pebbles produced with gum
Arabic, that produced with cashew gum from young and mature trees respectively. On a 9-point hedonic scale, this
range varies from “like moderately” to “like extremely”. Pebbles produced with cashew gum compared favourably
with that produced with gum Arabic.