**Acknowledgements**

*Innovation in the Food Sector Through the Valorization of Food and Agro-Food By-Products*

in whiteness and microbiological quality.

consumption.

tive composition.

respectively [55].

**7. Future perspectives**

**6. Nuts shell and cake**

cashew nuts also achieved a good sensory acceptance, without significant changes

Plant-based milk of sapucaia nut cake using block freeze concentration, which was done in five consecutive stages, allowed the concentration of the phenolic compounds (gallic, vanillic, ferulic, sinapic and salicylic acids, catechin, taxifolin and sinapaldehyde) and minerals in all the five fractions [54]. Studies with different raw materials and formulations, especially non-conventional nuts, are still scarce. The knowledge about such products should contribute to encouraging their

Industrial nut processing results in a large amount of shells, a coproduct that can represent approximately 40-50% of the original total mass. The reuse of these coproducts, which are usually discarded, should be encouraged for reducing waste disposal, preserving the environment and adding value to the raw materials.

Some nutshells, such as pecan, are sold in pieces to make tea [4]. The ethnopharmacological use of nutshell tea includes the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cancer and, inflammatory diseases [24]. The therapeutic effects of the tea made with pecan nutshell have been associated with the presence of several phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins. The antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor activity of pecan peel extract have been reported [4, 50]. Other nutshells may have health benefits due to their bioac-

Cashew nut is covered with a thin antioxidant-rich layer of reddish-brown color, known as testa. This fraction is an excellent source of hydrolysable tannins and polymeric proanthocyanidins. It comprises of phenolic acids like syringic acid, gallic acid, and *p*-coumaric acid as the major components. The concentration of catechin and epicatechin were found as 5.70 and 4.46 g/kg of dry matter,

The process of mechanical oil extraction generates a partially defatted byproduct known as cake. The agro-industrial use of the defatted nut cake has great nutritional value, based on its high lipid and protein contents and the functional aspect present in this material, adding value to food products. The nuts cake can be used in bakery (as presented in item 5.3), but also in sweets. In the study by Lima et al. [56], the cashew nut cake was used to replace peanuts in the production of a sweet known as *paçoca,* made by mixing ground peanuts with other ingredients, such as corn flour, sugar, honey, and oil. The product showed physicochemical and microbiological stability, as well as good sensory acceptance. In addition, the nut cake presents bioactive compounds. For instance, Maciel et al. [57] demonstrated that pecan nut cake is rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity.

Commercial and non-commercial Brazilian nuts are nutritionally rich in macronutrients and bioactive compounds, with considerable amounts of natural antioxidants. Such substances are related to a myriad of health benefits since they are able to reduce oxidative stress. A significant number of studies have investigated the bioavailability of these bioactive compounds of Brazil nuts and cashew with promising results. The effect of the nuts on health using human trials had positive outcomes.

**150**

The authors are grateful to National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the scientific productivity fellowship of Jane Mara Block (process 311070/2018-3), and to Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for the doctoral scholarship of Gabriela Polmann (process 88882.344944/2019-2101).
