Industrial Potential of Cashew Apple Bagasse: A Systematic Review of its Pharmaceutical Appeal and Biosustainability

Abstract Cashew apple bagasse (BAC) is a by-product obtained from the production of beverages based on the pseudo-fruit. Although it is commonly used for human and animal food or as a fertilizer, it adds very little economic value and is often wasted. Therefore, this study aims to carry out a systematic review of the applicability of BAC as a raw material for pharmaceutical and/or biotechnological products. This review was carried out according to the PRISMA© 2020 Checklist methodology. PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were used to collect and peer-review papers, using the following descriptors: “(cashew apple OR cashew)” AND (“bagasse” OR “biomass” OR “by-product”), considering the interval between 2019 and 2025. We excluded review articles, out of scope papers that and undergraduate academic productions. A total of 168 papers were found. After excluding duplicates, the titles and abstracts were peer-reviewed. Of these, 147 were excluded because they were not suitable for the research, even after 7 papers were re-screened. Finally, 11 full texts were peer-reviewed according to eligibility criteria and only one of these was excluded from the final count ( n = 10). The raw material was described in terms of its phytochemical and nutritional composition and its physicochemical and lignocellulosic characteristics. It was possible to highlight the potential application of this by-product as an intermediate or final product in the industrial production of cosmetic, biopharmaceutical and biotechnological products. Despite promising findings, logistical, economic, and manufacturing constraints remain, and further in vivo studies are required to confirm biosafety comprehensively. Graphical Abstract