The postharvest process of pistachios in Iran

Z. Rezvani, M. Maharlooei, A. Toudeshki, R. Ehsani
The global pistachio industry is a multi-billion-dollar business with expanding and growing market value. During the last decade, Iran and the United States were the major producers of pistachios, with a total of 75% of world production. In 2021, the area under pistachio cultivation in Iran was 336,700 ha, of which 51% is in Kerman province. Despite the long history of pistachio cultivation in Iran, postharvest processing systems using machinery to speed up operations have only become popular in the last two decades. To increase marketability, shelf life, and reduce aflatoxin contamination, harvested pistachios nuts must be processed immediately after harvest. The processing system includes a set of devices and machines that perform the peeling, cleaning, drying, and grading of the product. The postharvest processing is mainly done by growers in Iran, relying on locally manufactured equipment. There are advantages and disadvantages of processing pistachio locally by pistachio growers. In this article, we will review the postharvest methods and different equipment used for the postharvest processing of pistachio in Iran’s pistachio industry.
Rezvani, Z., Maharlooei, M., Toudeshki, A. and Ehsani, R. (2024). The postharvest process of pistachios in Iran. Acta Hortic. 1406, 281-292
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1406.41
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1406.41
processing equipment, small growers
English

Acta Horticulturae