Would you want to know if cashew shells are toxic? Yes, cashew shells are poisonous because they contain a natural resin known as urushiol, which is the reason why I would say this based on my own experience.
Urushiol is a toxin that is quite similar to the one that is present in poison ivy, and it can cause skin rashes, blisters, and itching.
Due to the presence of urushiol, the shells are highly hazardous to human health. Correct handling and disposal are of the utmost importance.
On the other hand, the leaves of the cashew tree are not poisonous and are utilized in the practice of traditional medicine in certain societies;
Nonetheless, the majority of people do not include them in their diets.
However, that is not all; as you continue reading, I will provide you with further information on the topic matter.
Now, let’s get started.
Is the The Shell Of The Cashew Nut Is toxic
The cashew is shelled before being offered to customers because, surprisingly, the cashew nut’s shell is poisonous. A popular snack with an excellent taste is cashew nuts.
Although they may be eaten at any time of the year, they are a popular Christmas treat.
The Aztecs begin cultivating cacao trees and making chocolate about 800 AD.
Europeans found cashews in Brazil in 1558.
1900s: Chocolate-covered almonds gain popularity thanks to companies like Nestle.
In honor of these delicious sweets, National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day was established in the 2000s.
Mango, cashew, poison ivy, and pistachio belong to the same family.
A kidney-shaped seed called a cashew develops on the underside of a cashew apple.
One type of fruit that has the cashew nut connected to it is the cashew apple.
The most popular technique to prepare this meaty fruit is to make a tasty juice with sugar and water.
Some people enjoy the fragrance, while others don’t.
In Costa Rica, cashews are harvested between March and April.
Brazil is the world’s second-largest cashew grower, followed by Africa in third place.
The high-fat content of cashews implies that they will not keep for very long at room temperature.
The cashew’s shell is toxic.
More than 90% of the cashew crop grown worldwide is consumed in the US.
The cashew nut’s vernacular name, cajun, is derived from its Portuguese name.
Cashew nutshell oil is used to make rubber and plastic, brake linings, and pesticides. A varnish is made from the tree’s milky sap.
The first conching machine is credited to Richard Lindt, the creator of Lindt chocolates.
Why cashews are not sold in their shells
Cashew nuts are not sold in their shells because the seeds contain a poisonous chemical called urushiol, and the shells have a lining that is packed with this fluid.
This is done to protect customers from skin sensitivities.
The Oil in Cashew Shells Is Toxic! Anacardic acids (60–70%), cardols (10–20%), cardanols (3–10%), 2-methylcardols (2–5%), and other trace amounts make up Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL).
Although cashews are not poisonous in and of themselves, the shell that surrounds them contains the toxic substance urushiol.
The urushiol in cashew nuts has the potential to induce contact dermatitis, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Skin rashes, blisters, and itching can result from coming into touch with urushiol. The good news is that roasting the cashews will remove the poisons.
It is pretty uncommon for someone to inadvertently eat contaminated cashews and get dermatitis since raw cashews are prepared with such care and attention to detail.
What’s Inside a Cashew Shell
The term “Cashew Nut Shell Liquid” (CNSL) refers to a dark, reddish-brown liquid that is found in cashew nut shells. This liquid is between 15 and 25 percent.
There are many different industrial uses for CNSL, particularly in polymer-based sectors such as paints, brake linings, epoxy resins, and rubber compounds.
CNSL is a source of phenol that is inexpensive and has other applications as well. It is comparable to light furnace oil (LFO) in terms of its high calorific content, which is around 11,380 kcal per kilogram.
In spite of the fact that cashew shells have a high calorific content, there are considerable difficulties associated with utilizing them as an industrial fuel product:
Reduction in Furnace Lifetime Cashew shells has a high concentration of phenols, which, over time, can cause severe damage to the refractory bricks that are used in furnaces, significantly lowering the lifetime of these bricks.
vapors that are both poisonous and corrosive: When cashew shells are burned, the acidic CNSL produces vapors that are considered to be toxic, including anacardic acid.
In addition to causing equipment to degrade, these vapors also present significant health risks to both workers and the environment.
Emissions of Black Smoke Cashew shells, which contain a significant amount of carbon, have the potential to emit black smoke during burning.
This is especially true in situations when there is an inadequate supply of air.
Issues with Handling and Feeding The high oil content of cashew shells causes issues in hoppers and feeders, which makes the fuel challenging to handle and difficult to store.
While it is being stored and handled, its acidity also creates potential safety hazards.
What are the Other Interesting Facts About Cashews
In a hard shell, a cashew develops at the end of a “cashew apple.
(Did you know that cashews are really a member of the poison ivy family?) and shielded by a toxin known as urushiol, which is similar to that of poison ivy.
Cashews need to be heat treated (roasted, boiled, or steamed) after shelling in order to deactivate or extract the oil.
This implies that even cashews that you purchase as “raw” are actually steamed or cooked, so they don’t contain active urushiol. Urushiol is also present in the skin of certain mangos and the shell of raw pistachios, which is another fascinating finding.
Therefore, you can also be sensitive to mangos and pistachios if you discover that you have an allergy or sensitivity to cashews.
My extended family is sensitive to cashews and pistachios.
I usually try to avoid both of them since I get a tingle throat if I eat anything that contains cashews, and I get a rash very often after eating pistachios.
And the next time I eat mango, I will definitely pay closer attention.
Final thought
Now that we have established that cashew shells are toxic, The high calorific value of cashew nut shells, which boasts 4800 kilocalories per kilogram, is one of the most notable characteristics of these shells.
They surpass the calorific value of several conventional biomass fuels, such as groundnut shells, firewood, wood chips, mustard straw, and rice husk.
Because of its high energy content, cashew shell biomass is an appealing choice for businesses that are aiming to minimize their dependency on traditional fuels such as coal.
