Effect of drying methods on the antioxidant activity of Anacardium occidentale L. (Cashew)

Studies on the drying characteristics of Cashew leaves are scarce in the literature; particularly the traditional sun drying properties as well as oven drying properties of plants are not adequately investigated. The aim of the work was to determine the sun, oven, shade dried and fresh leaves drying characteristics of Cashew and to compare the effect of the same on the antioxidant property of the extracts.

The extracts of leaves exposed to various drying conditions were prepared using various solvents. The phytochemical tests were carried out for various extracts prepared in order to ascertain the presence/absence of various phytoconstituents. The effect of drying conditions on the antioxidant activity of the extracts, the extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant effect by DPPH. Assay, Greiss assay and determination of total phenol content.

The Phytochemical investigations of the extracts revealed the presence of tannins and phenolics, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids and sugars.

From the results obtained, it was observed that shade dried leaves contained the maximum content of polyphenols. And the order of content to polyphenol was found to be Sun Dried leaves> Fresh Leaves > Oven Dried leaves > Shade dried leaves.

Acknowledgement: The authors thank ICMR, New Delhi, India for funding the research project.

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