Abstract
This study gives an overview on the nutritional value, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP) of Bronte’s pistachio (Pistacia vera, L., cv. Bianca) from Sicily (Italy). Bronte’s pistachios are rich in fat, protein, dietary fiber, trace elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) and minerals (Ca, P, K, Mg, Na). Lipids mainly consist of MUFA (33.8 g/100g), primarily oleic acid (32.4 g/ 100g); PUFA is mostly represented by linoleic acid (7.49 g/100g). Bronte’s pistachios are also a valuable source of bioactive compounds such as total polyphenols (501.5 mg/100g), lutein (1.26 mg/100g), β-carotene (0.18 mg/100g), γ-tocopherol (19.2 mg/100g) and phytosterols (134.4 mg/100g). Among phytosterols, the main is β-sitosterol (86% of total content), followed by Δ5-avenasterol (6.3%). Phytic acid content is 1763 mg/100g; Ins(1,2,4,5,6)P5 and Ins(1,2,3,4,5,)P5 have been detected too (31 mg/100g and 10 mg/100g, respectively). The antioxidant activity was determined both in hydrophilic and lipophilic fraction of pistachios, showing >80% of the total antioxidant activity in the hydrophilic, predominately due to phenolic compounds.
Highlights
In the Mediterranean area an intense food trade has taken place for centuries
A previous study [23] reported for Bronte’s pistachio a lower protein content and a higher fat content compared to our findings
Our findings showed a total phenolic content in raw Bronte’s pistachio of 501.5 mg/100g expressed as mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) (Table 3)
Summary
In the Mediterranean area an intense food trade has taken place for centuries. Pistachios (Pistacia vera, L.)How to cite this paper: D’Evoli, L., Lucarini, M., Gabrielli, P., Aguzzi, A. and Lombardi-Boccia, G. (2015) Nutritional Value of Italian Pistachios from Bronte (Pistacia vera, L.), Their Nutrients, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity. (2015) Nutritional Value of Italian Pistachios from Bronte (Pistacia vera, L.), Their Nutrients, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity. The potential health benefits related to nut consumption are mainly associated to the favourable lipid composition and the phytochemical profile. Pistachios are rich in healthy lipids and in bioactive molecules, such as dietary fiber, polyphenols, tocopherols, carotenoids and phytosterols [4] [5]; pistachios contain stilbenes too [6]. Besides the fore-mentioned healthy properties associated to nut composition, it has been shown that nut consumption leads to increased satiety and low glycemic index, without weight gain [7]. It has been reported that consumption of pistachios modifies human gut microbiota composition increasing the number of beneficial butyrate-producing bacteria [8]
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