Chromatographic and electrophoretic seperation of proteins extracted at pH 7.0 from the husk of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) nut

Cashew (Anacardium occidental) is native to northeastern Brazil. It is a tree nut belonging to the plant flowering family of Anacardiaceae, they enjoy global acceptance and are valued for their sensory and nutritional attributes. The nuts are high in lipids (45–70%, w/w) and proteins (20–25%, w/w) and are therefore energy-rich foods. This research is aimed at the extraction, separation, and if possible, identification of the various proteins present in cashew nut shell/husk. The extraction of proteins from cashew nut shell/husk was carried out by isolating the cashew nut shell/husk which is of interest from the cashew nut through manual method (knife and hammer). Extraction was done with 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer at pH 7.0. The protein extract (17 ml) was applied on a sephacryl S-300 column. The molecular weight of the components of the crude extract was determined by 10% Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The gel filtration chromatography separation of the extract showed three peaks, two minor and one major peak, Four bands were observed on the electrophoretic gel with molecular weights corresponding to 49, 200 Da; 24,045 Da; 18,400 Da and 16,206 Da respectively. This shows that the Cashew nut Husk contains at least three different types of proteins.