Investigating the Effect of Harvesting time on the Composition of Pistachio Nuts

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.