JOURNAL FUR VERBRAUCHERSCHUTZ UND LEBENSMITTELSICHERHEIT-JOURNAL OF CONSUMER PROTECTION AND FOOD SAFETY, vol.5, no.2, pp.163-167, 2010 (SCI-Expanded)
Pistacia vera L. is the only genus of more than ten in Pistacia species consumed as a nut and has commercial value. Turkey is one of the homelands of the pistachio species, and they are named Antep pistachio. When Antep pistachios are processed into nuts, their reddish purple hulls are removed as a waste after the processing. In this research, Antep pistachio hull samples extracted by methanol, ethanol and water were tested for antioxidant and antiradical (IC(50) value) potentials, and antimicrobial activities as well. The values of total phenolic content of methanol extracts of Antep pistachio hull was 167.49 +/- A 0.48 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry extract. The ethanol and aqueous extract of the pistachio hulls were determined as 89.87 +/- A 0.44 and 31.73 +/- A 0.21 mg GAE/g dry extract, respectively. The antioxidant activities of extracts were evaluated by the phosphomolybdenum method. The highest antioxidant activity of the hull extracts was determined in the methanol extracted samples (152.10 +/- A 0.19 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g dry extract), while the lowest value was in the ethanol extracts (15.19 +/- A 0.00 mg AAE/g dry extract). The values of IC(50) in methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of the pistachio hulls were 16.01, 21.62 and 24.45 mu g/ml, respectively. The highest antiradical activity was in the methanol extract of Antep pistachio hulls. In this research, the pistachio hull extracts were tested for antimicrobial activities against total 15 microorganisms, 13 bacteria and 2 yeasts. The aqueous extract of the hull was the most ineffective extract against the microorganisms tested. The methanol and ethanol extracts of the pistachio hulls, which had limited antimicrobial effect against the bacteria, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus mirabilis and Yersinia enterocolitica, and the yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, and were effective on the other microorganisms constituted inhibition zones diameter as between 10 and 39 mm. All extracts of the pistachio hulls exhibited antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes (6-38 mm) and Escherichia coli O157: H7 (8-28 mm). In conclusion, the hulls of Antep pistachio can be evaluated as a potential antimicrobial and antioxidant resource in the food systems.