Pistachio and Health Journal
Volume:4 Issue: 3, Summer 2021

Iran is one of the largest producers of pistachios in the world. Therefore, in most parts of the country, pistachio skin is abundantly found. By investigating in this field, one can find suitable usages for this seemingly worthless skin. Pistachio skin, with its substances and compounds, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, so that some of these compounds have a higher concentration in pistachio skin compared to its nut itself. Pistachio skin has the ability to prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria as well. In addition to food and therapeutic usages, pistachio skin can be used in the production of fertilizers, activated carbon/various adsorbents to remove contaminants and some other applications. Given the amount of pistachio skin produced in Iran, planning and principled commercial measures for an optimal use seems to be necessary.

Cisplatin is an important anticancer drug and despite its beneficial clinical effects in the treatment of cancer, it has toxic side effects owing to the production of free radicals. Pistachio is one of the plants having compounds with antioxidant properties and contains vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, various antioxidants, gamma tocopherol, quercetin, flavonoids, lutein, xanthine and minerals such as copper and selenium. Pistachio kernel extract contains multi-purpose phenolic compounds and can act as a free radical scavenger.

This experimental study was conducted on 36 male Wistar rats for 15 days. The rats were randomly divided into six 6-rat groups. Group 1 was the control group including healthy rats receiving DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide). Group 2 was healthy rats receiving 200 mg/kg body weight of ethyl acetate extract of pistachio kernel for 15 days. Group 3 was the healthy rats receiving 400 mg/kg body weight of ethyl acetate extract of pistachio kernel for 15 days. Group 4 was rats receiving cisplatin at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight by intraperitoneal injection on the tenth day of untreated experiment. Group 5 was the rats receiving cisplatin at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight from ethyl acetate extract of pistachio kernel for 15 days. Finally, group 6 included the rats receiving cisplatin at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight from ethyl acetate extract of pistachio kernel for 15 days. After 15 days, blood samples were taken from the corners of the rats’ eyes and after isolating the serum was revived and concentration of Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione and the activity of enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (Cat), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured in the serum.

In groups 2 and 3 receiving only the extract, a significant decrease in serum levels of SOD and Cat and a significant increase in TAC were observed compared to that of the control group (P< 0.001). Moreover, in group 4 receiving only cisplatin, a significant decrease was observed in serum levels of Gpx, Cat, SOD and TAC, and a significant decrease was also observed in MDA compared to that of the control group (P< 0.001). In addition, the high dose of the extract in group 3 led to a significant decrease in MDA compared to that of the control group, yet the low dose of extract in group 2 caused a significant decrease in Gpx enzyme compared to that of the control group (P< 0.001).

The results of this study showed that the hydro-alcoholic extract of pistachio kernel has protective and modulating effects against cisplatin toxicity in rats and due to its antioxidant properties, it increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

There is not sufficient information about the effect of neem extract on the growth, sporulation level, and production of aflatoxins by A. flavus. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further investigate the effect of neem seed extract on the production of aflatoxin AFB1 by A. flavus in culture medium and on pistachios infected with the fungus.

Neem seeds were collected from Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province from August to October 2016. Consecutive ethyl acetate, water, and hexane methods were used to extract Azadirachtin from neem seeds. After drying, the powdered extract was formulated with Tween 20 and sunflower oil. To evaluate aflatoxin production, Potato dextrose broth (PDB) culture medium containing A. flavus (6 log CFU / ml) and 0.3 ml extract were prepared and placed in an incubator for 9 days.

The results showed that the amount of fungal mycelium increased in the presence of ethyl acetate extract from neem seed, but the amount of aflatoxin B1 of this fungus decreased around 17% compared to the control sample (free of the formulated extract using the formulation of 1% of this extract).

The effectiveness of the formulated extract is attributed to tetranortriterpenoid such as Azadirachtin A. The use of the obtained formulation showed that in addition to the previous properties reported about neem seed extract, which prevents the plants from Insect damage, it can reduce the damage caused by aflatoxin contamination in pistachio. The 1%formulated of this neem extract had no effect on fungal growth, but the most important difference between studies on neem extract and Azadirachtin extracted in this study is the reduction of aflatoxin production by fungi. In other studies, aqueous extract of neem producing aflatoxin was reduced significantly, while Azadirachtin purified in this study had little effect on reducing aflatoxins.

The common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt & Lauterer (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae), is known as the key pest of pistachio trees in Iran. This study was surveyed to the population density of natural enemies of A. pistaciae.

This study was conducted in pistachio plantations in Kerman and Yazd province through 2006-2008. Three pistachio orchards were sampled in each pistachio plantations where managed under no spraying condition. By monthly sampling, population density of predators and parasitoids were recorded.

Totally, eight ladybirds' species, Anthochoris minki pistaciae, Anystis baccarum, Chrysoperla lucasina, Psyllaephagus pistaciae were collected as psyllophagous. Oenopia conglobata contaminata and Adalia bipunctata were found in all experimental sites. The two spotted ladybird A. bipunctata was found as the dominant species in Rafsanjan, Ravar, Kerman and Shahr-e Babak areas. O. conglobata contaminata, Hippodamia variegata, Exochomus nigripennis and Coccinella septempunctata were dominant in some areas of Kerman and Yazd provinces. Population density of psyllophagous ladybirds in spring and autumn were considerably higher than summer. 26% of the wasps emerging from psyllids mummies were the primary parasitoid Psyllaephagus pistaciae, and the remaining were hyperparasitoids.

This information can be used in the integrated management of this pest.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles is more simple, inexpensive, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly than traditional methods. Thus, given the presence of secondary metabolites, the use of plant extracts has attracted much attention in causing metal ion reduction reactions into nanoparticles.

In this study, sampling was conducted from pistachio trees of the same age and from branches of the same diameter with a height of 1.5 meters. Leaves and fruits with green and red hull samples were harvested at a specified time. Besides, biochemical properties of the samples were examined for phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and flavonoids. Copper nanoparticles were synthesized using 1mM copper sulfate salt at 55 and 80 °C. In addition, the absorption spectrum of the synthesized nanoparticles was analyzed through measuring the UV-Vis spectrum.

The content of phenolic compounds in the leaves showed a significant increase compared to the fruit hull. In addition, red hull fruits had less phenols than green hull ones. Besides, anthocyanin and flavonoid contents were higher in the leaves than in the fruit hull. Unlike the phenolic compounds, the anthocyanin content increased upon fruit development. Nanoparticles were synthesized upon observing the change in the color of the plant extract and the copper sulfate from pale yellow to dark brown. In addition, the peak in the wavelength range of 400- 430 nm confirmed the formation of copper nanoparticles.

The results of this study showed that the phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and flavonoids exiting in the aqueous extract of the pistachio leaves and hull acted as copper-reducing agents and chemical stabilizers of copper metal ions into copper nanoparticles.

Dyes are among the hazardous pollutants that are often found in fabric wastewater. These pollutants have a significant environmental detrimental effect on the ecosystem of aquatic plants and animals. They are also likely to alter the physical and chemical properties of water. Therefore, in present study, it was attempted to investigate the effect of pistachio tree sawdust on removing reactive red 11 (RR-11).

The present study was conducted experimentally and on a laboratory scale. The impact of effective parameters such as initial dye concentration RR-11 (20-100 mg/L), pH of the solution (4-11), adsorbent amount (0.1- 0.6 g/L) and reaction time (5-100 min) were investigated in RR-11 dye removal efficiency using pistachio sawdust. Finally, isotherms and adsorption kinetics were examined and analyzed as well.

The results have indicated that under optimal conditions including initial dye concentration of 40 mg/l, the solution of the pH being equal to 4, pistachio sawdust content of 0.6 g/l, and reaction time of 60 minutes, a removal efficiency of 99.2% is obtained. The adsorption process using sawdust showed a better agreement with second-order kinetics (R2 = 0.9934) and Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9906); the maximum adsorption capacity was 52.7 mg/g.

According to the obtained results, pistachio sawdust can be used as a suitable adsorbent; it can replace the common expensive and costly adsorbents.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. It has many phenolic compounds and has recently become one of the 50 food products that have high antioxidant potential.

The popularity of fresh pistachios has been growing in recent years due to demand based on health benefits. Biochemical and physiological indexes of fresh pistachios changes after harvest, and consequently, it has a short shelf life.

Overall, the packaging application can be considered an alternative approach for maintaining the fatty acid composition, respiration rate, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and sensory flavor of harvested fresh pistachio fruit.

Research on herbal agents is justifiable since they are often safe for the host. Pistacia vera seed (pistachio) is edible with various therapeutic effects such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial effects of pistachio extract on oral facultative anaerobes.

The hydroalcoholic extract of pistachio was prepared by the maceration method. The agar diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial effects of 5%, 10%, and 20% extracts against Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces viscosus, and Enterococcus feacalis. Chlorohexidine (0.2%) and DMSO (10%) were employed as positive and negative controls, respectively. A 0.5 McFarland scale of each bacteria was incubated in 5 mL of brain heart infusion broth at 37 °C for 48 h in a rotatory shaker and swabbed on agar medium plates. Afterward, the sterile discs were impregnated with different concentrations of extracts. The discs were aseptically placed onto pathogen-seeded plates and incubated at 37 °C for 48 h. Then, The zone of inhibition was measured. All the tests were carried out in triplicate on three separate days.

The antibacterial effects against Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces viscosus were significantly increased with higher extract concentrations.

The present study showed that the hydroalcoholic extract of pistachio could be considered as a potential treatment for oral facultative anaerobes.