Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.)

Abstract

Pistacia belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, which includes plants such as cashew nut, mango, sumach and poison ivy. Pistacia vera L. (2n = 32) is the only species in this genus which produces edible nuts large enough to be commercially acceptable (Figs. 1--3). Other species and sub-species, producing smaller nuts, which are mainly used as rootstocks or for oil, agro-forestry, timber production and carpentry include: P. atlantica, P. cabulica, P. chinensis, P. falcata, P. integerrima, P. kinjuk, P. kurdica. P. lentiscus, P. mutica, P. palaestina, P. terebinthus (Whitehouse 1957; Joley 1969; Rechinger 1969). Pistachio nuts are relatively low in sugar (approx. 10{\%}) and high in protein (20{\%}) and oil (50{\%}) contents. The oil is 90{\%} unsaturated fatty acids, 70{\%} of which is oleic acid and 20{\%} the more desirable linoleic acid (Kamangar et al. 1975; Kamangar and Farsam 1977; Hosseini- Shokraii 1977; Diamantoglou and Meletion-Christon 1979).