Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / The growing demand for processed food products means there is a need to develop technologies which can lead to products being developed which only slightly alter the sensory and nutritional characteristics and which are easy to use. Cooking a food leads to significant changes in its chemical composition which affect the concentration and the bioavailabilty of the bioactive compounds of vegetables. The development of value-added food products from the waste processing of the cashew apple could be attractive to the growing market for products with a reduced level of fats and attractive sensory characteristics. Considering the lack of data on the characteristics of products obtained from the cashew apple, the aim of this study was to analyze the bioactive compounds of different âin naturaâ cashew apple fibers (artisan and industrialized), to compare the different methods of cooking of the cashew meat to find the best one after the different methods of cooking, as well as to elaborate a way of evaluating the acceptance and sensorial preference of the new products made from these fibers. Different types of cashew âmeatâ were made from fibers (artisan and industrialized). These types of âmeatâ underwent different methods of cooking (boiling, steaming, frying and a mixed method) and their bioactive compounds were measured (that is, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, total antioxidant activity through the ABTS method âazinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonic acid) and the DPPH method (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). Cashew flour and cashew balls were made and underwent sensorial analysis. The level of ascorbic acid, the total carotenoids, and the antioxidant activity measured by the ABTS and the DPPH methods showed significant differences between the two in natura fibers studied, while they were significantly similar in terms of phenolic compounds. The artisan cashew fiber had a high level of ascorbic acid, (147.8 mg.100g-1), which is an excellent source of vitamin C. Both fibers showed low levels of total phenolic compounds and showed antioxidant activity. In both, the levels of ascorbic acid and carotenoids were high as the basic cashew âmeatâ is a good source of these bioactive compounds. The boiling method of cooking was the one which led to the lowest retention of functional compounds, exhibiting the lowest measurements in all the parameters evaluated. In general, frying and the cooking method combining both dry and moist heat had the highest measurements and were not significantly different from each other. The cashew flour and cashew balls were judged to be acceptable on the hedonic scales used both in terms of their attributes (appearance, aroma, taste, overall impression) and intention to buy. The values ranged from âI liked a littleâ and âI liked quite a lotâ for attributes and in terms of intention to buy the possibilities were âmaybe Iâd buy, maybe notâ and âI would possibly buyâ. It can be seen that making use of cashew apple residue is important both in terms of combating waste and in the development of new food products. / A crescente demanda por produtos de frutas processados gera a necessidade do desenvolvimento de tecnologias que permitam a obtenÃÃo de produtos com caracterÃsticas sensoriais e nutricionais com pouca alteraÃÃo e grande conveniÃncia para o consumo. O ato de cozinhar induz mudanÃas significativas na composiÃÃo quÃmica que influenciam a concentraÃÃo e a biodisponibilidade de compostos bioativos de vegetais. O desenvolvimento de produtos culinÃrios, de valor agregado, com resÃduos do beneficiamento do pedÃnculo caju tem atraÃdo o crescente mercado de produtos com teor reduzido de gordura e com boas caracterÃsticas sensoriais. Considerando a escassez de dados sobre as caracterÃsticas de produtos obtidos a partir do pedÃnculo do caju, objetivou-se nesse trabalho analisar os compostos bioativos das diferentes fibras (artesanal e industrializada) de caju in natura, comparar a melhor forma de cocÃÃo da âcarneâ bÃsica de caju apÃs os diferentes tipos de cocÃÃo, alÃm de elaborar e avaliar a aceitaÃÃo e preferÃncia sensorial de novos produtos formulados a partir destas fibras. Foram elaboradas âcarnesâ bÃsicas de caju a partir de duas fibras (artesanal e industrializada). Estas âcarnesâ foram submetidas a diferentes mÃtodos de cocÃÃo (cozimento a Ãgua, cozimento a vapor, fritura e cocÃÃo combinada) e tiveram seus componentes bioativos (Ãcido ascÃrbico, carotenÃides totais, atividade antioxidante total pelos mÃtodos ABTS â azinobis (3-etilbenzotiazolina-6-Ãcido sulfÃnico) e DPPH â (2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazil) avaliados. PaÃoca de caju e almÃndega de caju foram formuladas e analisadas sensorialmente. O Ãcido ascÃrbico, os carotenÃides totais, as atividades antioxidantes pelo mÃtodo do ABTS e pelo mÃtodo do DPPH variaram significativamente entre as duas fibras in natura estudadas; enquanto para os compostos fenÃlicos apresentaram-se significativamente iguais. A fibra de caju artesanal mostrou elevado conteÃdo de Ãcido ascÃrbico (147,8 mg.100g-1), sendo considerada uma excelente fonte de vitamina C. As fibras apresentaram baixos valores de compostos fenÃlicos totais e exibiram aÃÃo antioxidante. Em ambos os tratamentos, os nÃveis de Ãcido ascÃrbico e carotenÃides se apresentaram elevados, sendo âcarnesâ bÃsicas de caju rica fonte destes compostos bioativos. O tratamento de cocÃÃo em Ãgua foi o que menos contribuiu para a retenÃÃo de compostos funcionais, apresentando menores mÃdias em todos os parÃmetros avaliados. De maneira geral, a fritura e a cocÃÃo combinada de calor seco com calor Ãmido, exibiram maiores mÃdias, nÃo variando significativamente. A paÃoca e a almÃndega de caju apresentaram mÃdias dos atributos (aparÃncia, aroma, sabor, impressÃo global) e intenÃÃo de compra localizadas na zona de aceitaÃÃo das duas escalas hedÃnicas utilizadas, em que os valores variaram entre os termos âgostei ligeiramenteâ e âgostei moderadamenteâ enquanto para a intenÃÃo de compra, as mÃdias se situaram de âtalvez comprasse, talvez nÃo comprasseâ a âpossivelmente comprariaâ. Com base no resultados, o aproveitamento dos resÃduos do pedÃnculo de caju se torna bastante importante para o combate ao desperdÃcio e para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos alimentÃcios.