Investigation of Aflatoxin Contamination in Indehiscence and Mechanical Splitting Pistachios

Iran is the biggest pistachio producer and exporter in the world. Surely, one of the most problems of pistachio industry is Aflatoxin contamination in recent years that treated exportation this valuable crop. This research was done in order to evaluate Aflatoxin contamination in indehiscence and mechanical splitting pistachios of Ouhadi cultivars in Rafsanjan region. Treatments of this research were indehiscence pistachios with soft irregular cracked hull (in proper harvest time), indehiscence pistachios with dry irregular cracked hull (in delay harvest time), indehiscence pistachios with soft irregular cracked hull delaying in dehulling after 72 hours, indehiscence pistachios with unstained shell, indehiscence pistachios with stained shell, mechanical splitting pistachios and indehiscence pistachios with intact hull (control). This research was done in 4 replications in complete randomized block design (CRBD). Results showed that mechanical splitting pistachio had the greatest Aflatoxin contamination; these pistachios had significant differences with other evaluated pistachios from the Aflatoxin point of view. The second rank of Aflatoxin contamination belonged to indehiscence pistachios with stained shell that had significant differences with other categories. Amount of Aflatoxin in indehiscence pistachios with dry irregular cracked hull (delay in harvest time) was negligible. Indehiscence pistachios with soft irregular cracked hull (in proper harvest time), indehiscence pistachios with soft irregular cracked hull (delaying in dehulling) and indehiscence pistachios with intact hull (control) had not detectable Aaflatoxin contamination.