Pistachios are good sources of some functional compounds that are essential for human health. In addition to consuming dried pistachios (salted/roasted) or used as ingredients in a variety of confectionery and cookery products, consuming fresh pistachios is also gaining a foothold in the market. This review presents pre- and postharvest operations to prevent microbial contamination and to preserve physicochemical properties of fresh and processed pistachios for extending their shelf life. There is a potential in pistachios to be contaminated with some undesirable microbes, especially aflatoxin-producing fungi, during pre- and postharvest operations. In this regard, strategies to the prevention of aflatoxin production and the decontamination of produced aflatoxin in pistachios have been of interest to researchers. Different practices including sorting, thermal processing, biological control, ozone treatment, gamma irradiation, ultraviolet irradiation, and cold plasma have been proposed for aflatoxin decontamination. Sorting out damaged pistachios is one of the most important postharvest strategies to reduce aflatoxin levels (up to 98%) that can be done manually or electronically. The majority of pistachios (~85%) are consumed as roasted form that combining roasting with lemon juice improves the elimination of aflatoxin (up to 93%). Drying and packaging are the most important methods to maintain quality and improve the shelf life of pistachios. Laminated and metallized films with vacuum or modified atmosphere are the proper packaging for pistachios. تفاصيل المقالة

Fresh pistachio fruit cv. Kalleghochi was harvested from the exterior and interior parts of the tree canopy in four geographical directions. The fruit position in exterior and interior parts of the tree canopy has a significant influence on the number of nuts per ounce, pistachio splitting, hull weight, shell weight, kernel weight, colour indices and total anthocyanin content. Results indicated that the number of nuts per ounce, pistachio splitting, kernel weight, red skin colour (a*) and total anthocyanin content of outer-canopy fruits were higher than the fruits from inner-canopy fruits. Pistachio splitting was highest (98.6%) in outer-canopy in comparison to inner-canopy (50.3%) fruits. Results also indicated that the sunlight exposure increased red colour development and accumulation of anthocyanins. The total anthocyanin contents of hull in outer-canopy were 91% higher than those in inner-canopy fruits. Therefore, phenolic accumulation in pistachio hull maybe takenintoconsiderationas an important source of functional compounds in food systems with health promoting effects and antimicrobial activity. Results of this study suggest that the fruit position within the canopy is an important factor in determining physicochemical characteristics of pistachio fruit. تفاصيل المقالة