Pistachio is a nut with high consumption that can be affected by aflatoxin contamination. Regarding influence of this fungus on global trade, broad studies in this area seem to be necessary. In this research, pistachio nuts were coated with methyl cellulose at different concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% by immersion method. Samples were stored in an incubator (25°C) for 4 months. Imaging...

This paper highlights, for the first time, the changes in the phenolics fraction (anthocyanins, flavonoids and stilbenes) and tocopherols of unpeeled Pistacia vera L. var. bianca with ripening, and the effect of the sun-drying process. The total polyphenol levels in pistachios, measured as mg of Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE), were: 201 +/- 10.1, 349 +/- 18.3 and 184.7 +/- 6.2 mg GAE/100 g DM in ...

The distribution of aflatoxin concentration has been measured by sampling 19 process streams ranging from 1 to 1000 nuts/sample. The 19 streams comprise substantially the entire sorted product of one producer for crop year 1992. Similar results were obtained by another producer for 1993. The fraction of total aflatoxin accounted for by each process stream was computed. It was concluded that 90%...

The tree species, Pistacia vera (P. vera) is an important commercial product that is salt-tolerant and long-lived, with a possible lifespan of over one thousand years. Gene expression analysis is an efficient method to explore the possible regulatory mechanisms underlying these characteristics. Therefore, having the most suitable set of reference genes is required for transcript level normaliza...

The chromosome number and karyotype analysis of male trees of Pistacia vera L. was investigated to determine the sex chromosomes. For karyological determination, root tips were obtained from in vitro derived shoots. Afterwards fifty plates of mitosis were used for the karyotyping, the five best metaphase plates were measured for karyotype analysis, karyogram and idiogram. The conclusions obtain...

BACKGROUND Positive effects of pistachio nut consumption on plasma inflammatory biomarkers have been described; however, little is known about molecular events associated with these effects. PURPOSE We studied the anti-inflammatory activity of a hydrophilic extract from Sicilian Pistacia L. (HPE) in a macrophage model and investigated bioactive components relevant to the observed effects. M...