Pistachio and Health Journal
Volume:5 Issue: 3, Summer 2022

Kidney disorders are common in patients referred to clinics. Nowadays, finding treatment solutions for patients with kidney disorders is one of the concerns of clinicians. On the other hand, natural products can be used as therapeutic agents to attenuate renal diseases. As a natural plant, Pistacia Atlantica has many components with antioxidant effects. It seems that it may be helpful in the treatment of renal disorders. However, other research is needed to show its beneficial effects against various renal damages.

The pistachio is considered a valuable source of biologically active components. Compared to other nuts, it has a healthier nutritional profile with low-fat content consisting mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids. It is also a rich source of vegetable protein, dietary fiber, and minerals. While pistachio has been less studied than other nuts like walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts, numerous studies provide evidence of its beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. These effects are not limited to its ability to lower lipids. Several studies have shown the positive impact of pistachio on human health. This review aims to gather and categorize recent data (2017-2023) on the most beneficial effects of pistachio on lipid and glucose homeostasis, blood pressure, and weight control.

The main components of pistachios undergo significant changes during the ripening and development stages, making various uses of pistachios possible as fully grown product or green kernels Temporal Variations in Pistachio Nutrients. This research evaluated the main compounds and chlorophyll pigments of Ahmad Aghaei and Ohadi pistachios' varieties during ripening.

Pistachios were harvested from the gardens of Rafsanjan city at four different times (August 10th and 25th and September 10th and 25th). After removing the soft skin, the pistachio and its kernel were weighed, and the moisture content was measured using incubating. Subsequently, they were dried at 70 degrees Celsius in the oven for 48 hours then the amount of protein, oil, carbohydrates, Fiber, chlorophyll, and ash were measured. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using Minitab version 17 software, and the averages were compared using Duncan's test at the 5% probability level.

 The amount of moisture in both cultivars decreased during ripening, and it was in the range of 46.5-28.8 and 49.5-31.8 percent in Ohadi and Ahmad Aghaei cultivars, respectively. Fat, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber increased during the ripening period. The amount of ash did not show a significant change, but the amount of chlorophyll decreased during the ripening period.

The composition of the pistachio kernel changes during ripening, and by considering these changes and according to the purpose of using pistachios, the appropriate harvesting time and pistachio quality can be determined.

 The incorporation of live microbial cells in edible films has been considered a suitable biocontrol approach to increase the shelf life of food products.

 The current study investigated the possibility of developing an Aloe vera gel-based edible film containing Bacillus subtilis B5 and Lactobacillus plantarum DSMZ 20174 and their inhibitory effect against the growth of Aspergillus flavus in fresh pistachios during 30 days of storage.

 The results indicated that the sporulation dramatically decreased with an increase in the concentration of Lactobacillus plantarum to 107 CFU/ml and that any sporogenesis was detected at 108 CFU/ml. Significant differences were observed in the inhibitory effect of Bacillus subtilis  (90%) against Aspergillus flavus compared to Lactobacillus plantarum (60%). By observing the opacity of the wells, any trace of sporulation was noticed at 102 to 108 CFU/ml Bacillus subtilis concentrations. By reducing the inoculum volume of Bacillus subtilis cells to 101, the inhibition percentage was reduced to 76%, continuing to prove the antifungal effectiveness of this bacteria against the Aspergillus flavus growth even in a decreased inoculated population.
The edible film containing Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus plantarum demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the growth of Aspergillus flavus in fresh pistachios, with Bacillus subtilis having the most significant impact.

 The application of the Aloe vera-based coating bearing live cells could be considered an appropriate, safe, and economical approach to prevent Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production in fresh pistachios.

 Drying is one of the oldest methods that humans have employed to preserve and store foods. Today, this method is being widely utilized, as such there have been great advances in the production of dried fruits.

 In this study, different drying methods including sun drying, oven at different temperatures (70, 80, 90 or 100 °C), and microwave were used to dry “Ohadi” pistachio cultivar. In this respect, the effect of these methods on drying kinetics and the duration of drying was investigated.

 The results showed a meaningful difference (p<0.05) between the drying methods. The results also demonstrated that the microwave method accelerates the drying process. The results of the drying methods on qualitative characteristics of the pistachio such as changes in color parameters showed that the application of the microwave method increases color changes. Based on the results of the modeling for pistachio drying, Newton model was the most suitable model for describing the drying process of pistachio layers at 70°C oven, binomial model was the most suitable model for describing drying process of pistachio layers by oven at of 80, 90 and 100 °C.

 The Page model was the most suitable model for describing the drying process of pistachio layers by microwave, and the Wang and Singh model was selected as the most suitable model for describing the drying process of pistachio layers by sun drying method.

 Pistachio is one of the most crucial exported agricultural products of Iran. Pistachio nut is susceptible to fungal contamination and aflatoxin production.

 This study examined the effect of some functional factors of the optimized rotational UV-C irradiation system on the prevention of aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus. The factors included lamp distance from the products (10, 20, and 30 cm), irradiation time (15, 30, and 45 minutes), and the number of UV lamps (3, 5, and 7).

 The best treatment was the lamp distance of 10 cm, 30 minutes of irradiation with three UV-C lamps. The results revealed that aflatoxin levels in the irradiated sample were significantly lower than in the control sample (p<0.05). Also, UV-C irradiation caused significant changes (p<0.05) in some fatty acid profiles, as the amount of linolenic acid in the control sample (0.85±0.07%) was higher than the value in the irradiated sample (0.15±0.07%). However, the values of other fatty acids such as palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid were not significantly different between the control and irradiated sample.

 This irradiation system can be installed in different pistachio processing lines to disinfect products, which is very useful in reduction and prevention of the aflatoxins.

 Ooencyrtus egeria Huang and Noyes is an effective solitary egg parasitoid of Brachynema germari Kolenati and Acrosternum arabicum Wagner, the most common stink bugs of pistachios in Rafsanjan, Iran. Basic biological information on parasitoid and host interaction is essential for increased efficiency and successful biological control programs.

 In the present study, some important biological characteristics of O. egeria on two pistachio green stink bugs, A. arabicum and B. germari, were evaluated to define the best laboratory host for the mass rearing of this wasp.

 The eggs of B. germari had better nutritional quality for O. egeria females, thus, having the highest parasitism rate compared to the eggs of A. arabicum. The number of female offspring that emerged from B. germari eggs was higher than that of A. arabicum; however, the highest survival rate and the lowest mortality rate were recorded for the A. arabicum.

 Although the laboratory results show that the survival rate is higher and the mortality rate is lower for A. arabicum, B. germari is a more suitable host for the rearing of O. egeria in laboratory conditions due to the higher parasitism rate and sex ratio. The present research findings could be used in pistachio orchards to provide necessary data enabling the best use of this egg parasitoid as a biocontrol agent.

 Pistachio propagated in nurseries from seeds. The rootstock, as a root and a part of the stem, has a vital role in the uptake of water and nutrients, the growth and establishment of the graft. In nurseries, germinated seeds are planted on a large scale, and the placement of seeds is not considered due to the high workload. Therefore, this research aims to compare the sowing method of pistachio seeds in pots, how the roots are oriented, and its effects on the vegetative growth of seedlings.

The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three treatments (including sowing directions, head up, head down, and ventral in pots) and 6 replications under greenhouse conditions. The seeds were selected from the common rootstock, Badami-e-Zarand. The statistical method was obtained based on the coefficient of variation and the maximum average of the data for each trait. The total index as an indicator was used to determine the priority and importance of treatments.

 The results of the index based on the mean and correlation coefficients showed that the highest index was related to sowing seeds in the downward direction, with the highest value in weight and total indexes of the vegetative traits.

 According to the results, the best direction of the seed was head down and the root placed inside the soil, which was related to the production of a straight and healthy root without a bench in the collar and the better absorption of water and nutrient elements by seedlings.