Pistachio Oil Oleum Pistaciae synonyms: Pistazien(kern)öl (D); huile de pistache (F) 1 Source Plant Pistacia vera L. (Anacardiaceae), pistachio © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 593 S. Krist, Vegetable Fats and Oils, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30314-3_94 594 Pistachio Oil Habitat P Pistacia vera originates in Central Asia and the Mediterranean area. Alexander the Great brought it to Greece, and the Romans brought to to Sicily. Even today, pista- chios grow wild in several countries, for example in Afghanistan and India. They prefer dry, desert-like regions and are very frost-susceptible. Pistacia vera has a biennial crop sequence, which is why there are in turn small and large amounts of crop (Hager 1978, volume 6a, p. 730; Roth and Kormann 2000, p. 145). Description Pistacia vera is an evergreen, deciduous tree that can reach a height of 8–12 m. The crown is spreading and forms a dense canopy of leaves. The leaves are pinnate or bipinnate, greyish green, with stalkless, ovate leaflets. The panicle is short; the inconspicuous, axillary flowers are a reddish colour. They develop into elongated, oval stone fruit that are about 2–3 cm long. The fruit are brownish red and wrinkly, with a thin layer of fruit pulp that tastes of turpentine. They contain the seeds that are sold as pistachios or “green almonds”. The seed is usually triangular, a green, brownish or violet colour and 20 mm long. It is slightly compressed at the sides and protected by a whitish, hard shell (Hager 1978, volume 6a, p. 730). 2 Cultivation and Extraction Cultivation Pistacia vera is cultivated for commercial purposes in Iran, Turkey, Syria, Greece and Italy. In the 1970s, large plantations were planted in the USA, especially in California. Today, the USA is one of the main producders, in addition to Turkey and Iran (Hager 1978, volume 6a, p. 730; Yildiz et al. 1998). Extraction of the Oil Pistachio oil is obtained by cold pressing or extracting the pistachio seeds (Roth and Kormann 2000, p. 145). 3 Character Colour Depending on the mode of extraction golden yellow to dark green (Roth and Kormann 2000, p. 145). 4 Ingredients 595 Odour P Sweet, fruity, smell of pistachio seeds, slightly green. Nearly odourless (Roth and Kormann 2000, p. 145) Volatile Compounds SPME-GC-MS analysis (Bail et al. 2009b): Acetous acid 2-Methylpyrazine 3-Methylpropanal Furfural 2-Methylbutanal Gamma-butyrolactone 3-Hydroxy-2-butanone Trans-2-heptanal Hexanal Limonene Octane 2-Ethyl-3-dimethylpyrazine Flavour Delicately nutty. Nearly flavourless (Roth and Kormann 2000, p. 145). 4 Ingredients Composition of Fatty Acids Content in % acc. to Roth Content in % acc. Content in % acc. to and Kormann (2000), to Yildiz et al. Kerschbaum and Fatty acids p. 146 (1998) Schweiger (2001), p. 19 Palmitic acid 8.2 11.7 11.5 Linoleic acid 20.0 18.7 29.2 Palmitoleic acid – 1.3 0.8 Oleic acid 69.6 65.15 52.2 α-Linolenic acid – – 0.6 Stearic acid 1.4 3.15 0.9 Arachidic acid – – 0.1 Behenic acid – – 0.1 Vaccenic acid – – 4.5 Myristic acid 0.6 – 0.1 Eicosenoic acid – – 0.2 596 Pistachio Oil Composition of Sterols P (concentration in mg/100 g and content in %) Sterols Pistachio oil acc. to Firestone (1999), p. 80 Total content 201 Campesterol 5 Stigmasterol 2 β-Sitosterol 77 Δ5-Avenasterol 7 Δ7-Stigmasterol 1 Composition of Tocopherols Tocopherols Content in mg/100 g acc. to Kerschbaum and Schweiger (2001), p. 36 Total content 21.6 α-Tocopherol 8.4 γ-Tocopherol 13.2 Other Ingredients (Kerschbaum and Schweiger (2001), p. 20, 43; Yildiz et al. 1998): Vitamin E Mineral nutrients Vitamin A Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Physical Key Figures of Pistachio Oil 40 refractive index: n25 1.467 15 density: d4 0.914–0.920 saponification number: 187–196 iodine number: 86–98 unsaponifiable: 0.5–3% point of solidification:− 5 to −11 °C (Roth and Kormann 2000, p. 146) 5 Application 597 Shelf Life P Pistachio oil is relatively stable against oxidation. It thus has a longer storage life than other oils made from nuts (Yildiz et al. 1998). Characteristics of the Oil Pistachio oil is comparable to almond oil with regard to its ingredients and composi- tion of fatty acids (Kerschbaum and Schweiger (2001), p. 20). 5 Application In Pharmacy and Medicine Pistachio oil contains large amounts of β-sitosterol, which competitively inhibits cholesterol in the organism. Its application in cases of hypercholesterolaemia is conceivable, but no cases of actual application have been mentioned in literature. In Cosmetics Oleum pistaciae has excellent moisturising properties and is therefore added to lotions for dry skin, sunblock and after-sun products, as well as nail-care products. It is also used as an emollient (Kerschbaum and Schweiger (2001), p. 45; Hannon 1997). As Food Pistachio oil is mainly used as a salad oil. As a result of its delicate nutty flavour, which is comparable to almond oil, it is also used in the sweets industry (Kerschbaum and Schweiger 2001, p. 45)..