Scientific Study

BACKGROUND: Modern agriculture allows farmers to choose among different cultivars of the same fruit to fulfill their agronomic needs and consumers' demands; however, there are only few studies describing and comparing key functional and sensory properties of different pistachio cultivars. The main objective of this study was to compare eight pistachio cultivars by analyzing key functional properties (phenolic compounds, polymeric procyanidins, antioxidant activity, inhibition of α-amylase and β-glucosidase), aromatic compounds (GCMS), and sensory properties with a trained panel. RESULTS: By combination of LC-PDA-MS-QTof and electrospray ionization were determinate 2 phenolic acids, 9 flavonols, 1 anthocyanin and 3 flavan-3-ols in pistachio cultivars, with a total concentration ranged from 500 to 6065 mg 100 g-1 dry weight (dw); total polymeric procyanidins concentrations oscillated between 348 and 5919 mg 100 g-1 dw, being (-)-epicatechin the major monomer contributor; Pinene was the most abundant volatile compound (~200 mg kg-1 dw); and, in case of sensory analysis of samples, 23 sensory attributes were found significantly different. CONCLUSION: The cultivar "Larnaka" stood out as having the best functional profile (high polyphenolic content, high antioxidant activity, and high values of α-amylase and β-glucosidase inhibition), while the cultivars "Kastel" and "Kerman" showed the most attractive sensory properties, mainly the most intense flavor.