Determination of total polyphenols, sterols and minerals in pistachio green hull

Pistachio (Pistaciavera L.) is a small tree native to mountainous regions of Iran. Soft green hull (endocarp) is by-product of the fresh pistachio processing. The purpose of this study was to develop a broader picture of chemical composition of pistachio green hull. Total polyphenols, phytosterols and minerals were determined. The results show pistachio green hull is a promising source of phenolic compounds (6.6%), as one of the richest sources of sterols such as sitosterol (51.92%), fagarasterol (39.60%), botulin (3.17%), Lanasterol (2.57%), Stigmasterol (2.75%) and minerals such as phosphorus (888.23 mg kg-1), sodium (951.33 mg kg-1), potassium (52857 mg kg-1), calcium (5532.67 mg kg-1), iron (146.13 mg kg-1), zinc (13.8 mg kg-1), copper (8.83 mg kg-1), magnesium (3988.33 mg kg-1) and manganese (8.20 mg kg-1). The obtained results in this research indicate that pistachio green hull may become important as a cheap and noticeable source of valuable compounds with health protective potential.