Effect of postharvest storage temperatures on the quality parameters of pistachio nuts

Pistachios from Italy and Turkey were stored at different temperatures (10, 20, and 30°C) and the moisture of the pistachios,the free fatty acids (FFA) content, the peroxide value, and triacylglycerols (TGs) composition of the extractedoils were evaluated. The content of FFA decreased during storage at 10°C and increased at 20 and 30°C. No differencesbetween the peroxide values were found during storage at 10°C. A significant increase in the peroxide values wasobserved after 20 days at 20°C and 5 days at 30°C in both the Italian and Turkish samples. The main TGs found in thepistachio oil of both origins were OLO, OLL, OLP, LLL, LLP, OOP, OLLn, and OOO; these accounted for approximately85% of the total TGs content. A decrease was observed in the amounts of TGs esterified with polyunsaturatedfatty acids, such as LLP, OLP, LLL and OLL, and an increase of the relative amounts of TGs with monounsaturatedand saturated fatty acids, such as OOO and OOP, with the increasing storage time and temperatures in both samples