Nutritional value and antioxidant properties of hull and kernel in Pistacia atlantica and Pistacia khinjuk fruits

Observation of the distribution of macro-, micro-, and toxic element contents of almond kernels burned with different digestion methods

In this study, the elemental contents of almonds burned with four different methods to capture the elemental amount of almond kernels in the best way, to increase the release of obtainable elements by decomposing plant tissues, and to make them more atomized were measured and compared with ICP-AES. Depending on the digestion types, the K and Ca contents of almond varieties were determined as 10,167.35 (microwave) and 13,004.06 mg/kg (digestion with HCl) to 3303.63 (wett digestion) and 5162.43 mg/kg (muffle furnace), respectively. In addition, the highest average P (7.02 mg/kg) and S (17.32 mg/kg) were determined in almond samples burned in wett digestion and digestion with HCl systems. Depending on the burning types, the average Fe and Zn contents of almond samples were characterized as 19.00 (microwave) and 1162.92 mg/kg (muffle furnace) and 30.95 (microwave and digestion with HCl) and 56.57 mg/kg (muffle furnace), respectively. Among the almond varieties digested with different burning methods, the highest average Fe (400.82 mg/kg), Zn (55.98 mg/kg), Cu (5.53 mg/kg), Mn (55.38 mg/kg), and B 14.46 mg/kg) were found in Texas. It has been detected in bitter almond, Texas, and Nonpareil almond varieties. Depending on the digesting types, the average As and Al amounts of almond samples were determined between 481.85 (wett digestion) and 2110.68 mg/kg (digestion with HCl) and 134.09 (microwave) and 431.29 mg/kg (digestion with HCl). Among almond varieties, the highest average amounts of As (1551.73 mg/kg), Al (310.39 mg/kg), Ba (241.94 mg/kg), Cd (4.19 mg/kg), Cr (121.55 mg/kg), Co (3.81 mg/kg), Ni (59.90 mg/kg), and Pb (34.60 mg/kg) were detected in Texas, Nonpareil, bitter almond, bitter almond, Nonpareil, Fernando, bitter almond, and Nonpareil almond kernels, respectively. As a result, according to the digestion methods, the highest amounts of elements were defined in the samples digested with HCL, followed by wet digestion, muffle furnace, and microwave digestion methods in decreasing order.

Antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant activities of Pistacia atlantica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies

To determine the pharmaceutical applications, we assessed the evidence from preclinical studies about the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant potential of Pistacia atlantica (PA) as a natural source for prevention and treatment of diabetes. A comprehensive literature search of the articles published until March 12, 2022 was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, and Scopus databases, using relevant keywords. This meta-analysis included 12 articles that examined the blood glucose (BG), insulin, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled effect size. Findings indicated that PA supplementation significantly decreased BG, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, and MDA, and increased insulin and SOD in diabetic animals compared with control group (p < .05). However, PA supplementation had no significant effects on HDL-C (p > .05). The subgroup analysis also confirmed the beneficial effect of PA supplementation with longer duration (>4 weeks) and higher doses (≥100 mg/kg/day) as well as in the extract type. The studies have heterogeneity associated with methodological diversity and there were some concerns about the risk of bias, especially about randomization and blind outcome assessment. This meta-analysis provided convincing evidence for antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant activity of PA in animals. Further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the plant.

Nutritional Content and Antioxidant Capacity of the Seed and the Epicarp in Different Ecotypes of Pistacia atlantica Desf. Subsp. atlantica

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites that occur naturally in all plants. Seeds are among the richest organs of plants in phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. These compounds and their biological activities are of great importance for human health. This study aimed to analyze the phenolic composition and their antioxidant activity in the seeds and epicarps of six Algerian populations of Pistacia atlantica Desf. subsp. atlantica growing along an aridity gradient from semi-arid to Saharan environmental conditions. Higher phenolic contents were observed in epicarp compared to seeds whatever the ecotype. The highest phenolic content of seeds and epicarps was observed in ecotype of Djelfa and the lowest values in Tiaret (T-Z). Phenolic composition, measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), showed that quercetin in epicarp, gallic and chlorogenic acids in seeds were the most present in all ecotypes. Large differences were observed between ecotypes for nutritional values. Seeds were rich in flavonoids, proteins, carbohydrates and essential elements such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. These results highlighted the potential importance of Atlas pistachio fruits as a source of essential compounds that contribute to human health. Moreover, this underused species may serve a potential source for antioxidant components for alimentation and cosmetics purposes.