Pistachios as a Source of Health Promoting Substances

This paper proposes pistachios, although limited to the Italian product (Bronte), as an important source of bioactive phenolic compounds such as: anthocyanins, flavonoids, trans-resveratrol and other important antioxidants such as chlorophylls, xanthophylls and tocopherols. The total polyphenols content, expressed as mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE), was about 185 mg of GAE/ 100 g dry matter (DM). This value depends significantly from anthocyanins contribute. In fact, anthocyanins level is about 24 mg/100 g DM. This concentration is almost fourfold higher than those found in blood orange juice and one third of anthocyanins level reported in pasteurized blackberry juice. As concerns trans-resveratrol the determined level is 0.2 mg/100g DM, data comparable to the concentration in red wines. Pistachios, thus, can be considered as a good source of anthocyanins and stilbenes. The identified flavonoids about 10 mg/100 g DM, were daidzein, genistein, quercetin, daidzin, genistin, eriodictyol, luteolin and naringenin. The Italian pistachio is characterized by a high level of chlorophylls (a and b) also at ripeness, lutein for about 0.4 mg/100 g DM and tocopherols about 8 mg/100 g DM. All of them showing antioxidant activity. Moreover the oil fraction can be considered as an important source of essential fatty acids as well as of phytosterols, playing a primary role in preventing cardiovascular diseases.