The extent to which tool-using animals take into account relevant task parameters is poorly understood. Nut cracking is one of the most complex forms of tool use, the choice of an adequate hammer being a critical aspect in success. Several properties make a hammer suitable for nut cracking, with weight being a key factor in determining the impact of a strike; in general, the greater the weight ...

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a secondary metabolite produced by some Aspergillus species, which haveharmful impacts on human health such as carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, acute and chronic toxicity.In this study, the occurrence of AFB1 in pistachio nuts during various preparing processes wasinvestigated in two pistachio farms from Qazvin province, Iran, from September to November 2012.High Performa...

BACKGROUND Increased consumption of nuts has been advocated because of their health benefits, but the role of nuts in the treatment of obesity is unclear given their high energy density. OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a hypocaloric, almond-enriched diet (AED) compared with a hypocaloric nut-free diet (NFD) on body weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors in...

Pistachio is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran.  There is a unique role for amino acids in the plant response to stressful conditions, and special physiological role for Arginine (Arg) compared to other amino acids.  The effects of this compound were investigated on vegetative and reproductive characters of bearing pistachio trees of ‘Ahmad-Aghaei’. The experiments were done...

Capuchins living in Boa Vista (Piauì, Brazil) crack open hard palm nuts on hard, level surfaces (anvils) using stones (hammers) as percussive tools. This activity leaves diagnostic physical remains: distinctive shallow depressions (pits) on the surface of the anvil, cracked shells, and stone hammers on the anvil. To initiate comparison of percussive stone tool use and interpretation of the arti...

the objective of this study was to evaluate different pistachio hullers and determine the proper harvest time of pistachio nuts for hulling. three pistachio hulling machines (helical drum, helical- blade drum, rubber drum) at three harvest times and 15 days interval were evaluated. the hulling efficiency, percentage of damaged nuts, faulty hulled nuts and unhulled nuts were measured at each tim...

BACKGROUND Fruit has since long been advocated as a healthy source of many nutrients, however, the high content of sugars in fruit might be a concern. OBJECTIVES To study effects of an increased fruit intake compared with similar amount of extra calories from nuts in humans. METHODS Thirty healthy non-obese participants were randomized to either supplement the diet with fruits or nuts, each...