All elements of the pistachio tree are considered raw pistachio by-products. The soft hull makes up the majority of these by-products. It contains proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, phenolics contents (TPC), and antioxidants. Early smiling pistachios are one of the most important sources of pistachio contamination with aflatoxin in the garden and processing stages. The present study aimed to evaluate pistachio hull essential oil (EO) composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties under in vitro conditions. TPC, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity were measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method, and serial dilution titration method, respectively. A gas chromatography system with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was utilized to determine the chemical components of the EO. The findings revealed that the quantity of TPC and anti-radical activity in IC50 were 245.43 mg gallic acid/mL and 206.32 µL/L, respectively. The free radical absorption activity of DPPH (%) increased with EO content. The inhibitory activity of EO on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis was much lower than that of streptomycin and penicillin. Aspergillus flavus was effectively inhibited by pistachio hull EO, comparable to fluconazole. The results obtained from GC-MS showed that the major compounds in pistachio hull essential oil include α-pinene (47.36%), terpinolene (10.57%), limonene (9.13%), and L-bornyl acetate (8.57%). The findings indicated that pistachio hull EO has potent antibacterial and antioxidant components and can be employed as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant in food systems.
© 2023. The Author(s).