**5.4 Nut-based milk alternative**

Plant-based milk alternatives are beverages obtained from crushing a specific feedstock homogenized in water. The resulting particle size distribution should be between 5 and 20 μm to mimic cow's milk in appearance and consistency. Sethi et al. [5] reported that the vegetable-based milks can be divided in five categories according to the raw material used: cereals (oats, rice, corn, spelled), vegetables (soy, peanuts, lupines, cowpea), nuts (almonds, coconut, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts), oilseeds (sesame, flax, hemp, sunflower), and pseudo-cereals (quinoa, teff, amaranth).

The improved diagnosis of conditions related to cow's milk consumption, such as milk protein allergy and lactose intolerance, increased the demand for nondairy milk alternatives. Besides, vegans also prefer these beverages, and it is being considered a continuously growing niche [5]. Nuts, such as walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds, are used to produce plant-based milk alternatives, mainly due to their functionality and better sensory characteristics [5]. The allergenic potential and high cost are some of the limiting factors presented by the nut-based milks.

The addition of Brazil nuts extract in a soybean-based drink positively influenced the sensory characteristics of the product [52]. On the other hand, prebiotic drinks based on cashew nuts and fruit juice have proved to be a viable alternative for the development of functional products [53]. Bruno et al. [6] reported that cashew nut-based milk alternative was a good matrix for the development of probiotics. They showed that *Bifidobacterium animalis*, *Lactobacillus acidophilus* and *L. plantarum* remained viable during 30 days at 4°C. The probiotic drink based on

cashew nuts also achieved a good sensory acceptance, without significant changes in whiteness and microbiological quality.

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 consumption.

## **6. Nuts shell and cake**

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 bioactive composition.

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, respectively [55].

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.

#### **7. Future perspectives**

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.

**151**

**Author details**

Renan Danielski1

St. John's, NL, Canada

Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

provided the original work is properly cited.

, Gabriela Polmann<sup>2</sup>

1 Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland,

2 Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Santa

\*Address all correspondence to: janeblock@gmail.com; jane.block@ufsc.br

© 2020 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

and Jane Mara Block<sup>2</sup>

\*

*Valorization of Native Nuts from Brazil and Their Coproducts*

diminishing the waste generated by nut processing.

However, relatively unknown Brazilian nuts, such as sapucaia, chichá, pracaxi, and monguba remain an underexplored topic. Information about their bioavailability aspects and their impact on human health is still necessary. Therefore, more studies

Finally, nuts are incredibly versatile with great economic potential. The incorporation of the coproducts, which are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds, is an opportunity to enrich food formulation with these cost-effective ingredients,

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

should be done in order to stimulate large-scale commercialization.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95056*

**Acknowledgements**

(process 88882.344944/2019-2101).

*Valorization of Native Nuts from Brazil and Their Coproducts DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95056*

However, relatively unknown Brazilian nuts, such as sapucaia, chichá, pracaxi, and monguba remain an underexplored topic. Information about their bioavailability aspects and their impact on human health is still necessary. Therefore, more studies should be done in order to stimulate large-scale commercialization.

Finally, nuts are incredibly versatile with great economic potential. The incorporation of the coproducts, which are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds, is an opportunity to enrich food formulation with these cost-effective ingredients, diminishing the waste generated by nut processing.
