Classification of Iranian pistachio according to their cultivars based on fatty acid composition and chemometrics

Pistachio, one of the most important horticultural products of Iran, is being planted widely in the province of Kerman where is the main area for pistachio production. Unsaturated fatty acids have formed more than 88% of fat content of pistachio. This nut receives increasing interest as a healthy food because its regular consumption has been reported to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease [1]. Pistachio is a good source of essential fatty acids and tocopherols. The fatty acid composition of pistachio oil is unique compared to other nuts oil because pistachio oil contains predominantly oleic acid (55.1 to 71%), linoleic acid (13.3 to 28.9%), palmitic acid (9.5 to 10.8%), and stearic acid (1.1 to 2.6 %) [2]. The aim of the present study was to characterize and classify Iranian pistachio according to their cultivars, based on fatty acid composition, by means of linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The total of five pistachio cultivars was collected from Kerman, Iran namely Akbari, Chorok, Ahmad-aghaee, Ohadi and Kale-ghochi. The analysis of fatty acid compounds was performed using extraction of oil, methyl esterification and gas chromatography. The results showed no qualitative difference in the fatty acid fractions among different cultivars FAMEs. However, quantitative differences were observed in fatty acid composition of different pistachio cultivars. Consequently, the pistachio samples were satisfactorily classified according to their cultivars using multivariate data analysis based on linear discriminant analyses. Fatty acid content of Iranian pistachio was found to depend highly on cultivars.