Investigation of Volatile Compounds and Characterization of Flavor Profiles of Fresh Pistachio Nuts (Pistacia vera L.)

Volatile compounds and flavor characteristics of Uzun, Kirmizi, Halebi, Siirt ve Ohadi varieties of fresh pistachio nuts cultivated in the Pistachionut Research Institute located in Gaziantep, Turkey were investigated by using Solid Phase Micro Extraction/Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (SPME/GC/MS) and sensory flavor profile analysis techniques. Major volatile compounds of the fresh pistachio nuts were detected as -pinene (15.53-48.57%), -terpinolene (1.66-23.06%), limonene (3.15-30.04%), and -myrcene (3.50-8.95%), respectively. Sensory flavor profile analysis (FPA) techniques demonstrated the common descriptors for fresh pistachio nuts as fresh hazelnut, fresh walnut, fresh apricot kernel, pine, wet wood, green, sour, sweet, bitter, astringent, milky, and oily.