Anthocyanins, chlorophylls and xanthophylls in pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera) of different geographic origin.
Bellomo MG, Fallico B
J Food Comp Anal. 2007;20:352-‐9.
Pistachio harvesting at the appropriate time is one of the key factors affecting the product quality. The effects of early harvest time on quantitative and qualitative properties of pistachio nuts were investigated.
The ‘Ohadi’ pistachio cultivar was used as the market reference in Iran. Five harvest times (July 27, August 6, August 16, August 27 and September 6) were studied over four consecutive years (2008–2011) as treatments in the field experiment. Nut weight parameters, hull discoloration, hulling, cracked nuts, early-split nuts, kernel protein, mineral and chlorophyll contents were evaluated at each harvest time.
Results showed that early harvesting of pistachio is preferable in terms of crop health indicators, nutritional value and color of the kernels. However, it is not preferable in terms of yield (nut and kernel production per hectare) for the producers, although potentially more sustainable.