Ahmad Aghaei Pistachio

Ahmad Aghaei pistachio is a Long oval pistachio that is known as a Long Pistachio in the global market. The rationale for the popularity of this pistachio, for the most part in the Asian market (e.g., China and India), is its delicious taste and beautiful appearance

Initially, Ahmad Aghaei pistachio were identified by someone named Ahmad Agha Foroutan in Kerman, one of the cities in Iran.

Given that this pistachio doesn’t have a long history, it has a lot of scope in the pistachio cultivation industry.

Ahmad Aghaei pistachio is one of the popular cultivars of pistachios that have been considered by farmers and gardeners.

Ahmad Aghaei pistachio kernel is one of the best pistachio kinds for the preparation of pistachio slices due to its elongation and is always well received. Additionally, its smaller type is widely used in the confectionery industry.

One of the root causes of the high-volume export of Ahmad Aghaei pistachios is their suitable price in comparison with other kinds of pistachios. Owing to its outward appearance, it is in the Long and open-shelled pistachios category.

For these reasons, that is an attractive appearance and an appropriate price, the Ahmad Aghaei pistachio export and business market is thriving and exported to many countries, in particular Spain, Holland, and India, which are among those interested in Ahmad Aghaei pistachio.

Without a doubt, Ahmad Aghaei pistachios tree is one of the most productive and economical pistachio trees in terms of the number of fruits in each cluster (on average, 18 pistachios in each cluster).

On the other hand, almost more than 98% of  Ahmad Aghaei pistachios fruit is half-crack. These features are the grounds for the high quality of the tree and its popularity amongst pistachio gardeners.

Pistachio kernel development starts on July 1, but the harvest time (for the fully ripe products) is nearly from the beginning of September. About one month after the harvest time (near the last days of October), the Ahmad Aghaei pistachio is ready to be sent to the customers, with in mind that the process of harvesting the product, analysis, testing, washing, sorting, etc., takes time.

Among the pistachios, the Ahmad Aghaei pistachio is very similar to the Akbari pistachio. Consequently, from time to time, it is difficult to distinguish these two pistachios from each other.

However, there are differences between them that help to distinguish these pistachios from each other more easily. In summary, some of these differences are as follows:

• The size of the Akbari pistachio is bigger than (rather) the Ahmad Aghaei pistachio. Akbaripistachio is in the Super-long pistachio category, and Ahmad Aghaei pistachio is in the Long pistachio category.
• Ahmad Aghaei pistachio’s hard-shell color is lightly creamy, and the Akbari pistachio is chiefly light brown.
• Ahmad Aghaei pistachio seed coat color is light red, in the event that the Akbari pistachio is lighter and more like pink.

The quality of pistachios is measured by various criteria. One of these criteria is Ounce. The ounce calculation for pistachio is essential in its export market.

Ounce means the number of pistachios per 28.3 grams (one ounce, or OZ1) of it. Overall, an Ounce is used to measure pistachios’ coarseness or fineness. In brief, the method of calculating pistachio ounces is like this:

• The number of bunches of 5 pistachios indicates the pistachio’s Ounce. (For instance, if the number of bunches of 5 is 26, it can be said that this type of pistachio is 26 ounces, and if the number of bunches of 5 is 26 plus two pistachios more, the ounce of this pistachio is 26–28.)

As much as the number of ounces is less, the size of the pistachio would be bigger, more luxurious, and more expensive, and conversely, the higher the number of ounces, the smaller the size and more economical in terms of cost.

Accordingly, Ahmad Aghaei pistachio are available in sizes 24-26, 26-28, 28-30, and 30-32 (pistachios in OZ1). Their normal market size is 26–28.

Reasons such as Biennial bearing (or Alternate Bearing, i.e. failure to produce identical crop production in consecutive years. In other words, the amount of production is too high in one year and too low, or no crop in another), unbalanced and bad weather conditions, improper fertilization, etc. carry out the decrease in the amount of harvest.

Usually, when the pistachio harvest is large throughout the year, pistachio traders experience an attractive export market. The prices are in line with global pistachio prices, and selling to other countries is easier.

Contrarily, when the pistachio harvest is low, the supply is low too, but the demand rate for the product is high. So, this affects the price of pistachio increase to a great extent and has a big difference with the world price of pistachio.

The crisis of water shortages and drought is another reason for the increase in the price of pistachios.

These days, with the lack of water and drought, pistachio producers are in trouble. Water scarcity is one of the reasons access to water becomes more difficult.

Each pistachio has different shapes and types in effect of the place of cultivation and the way it is maintained. For example, one type of Ahmad Aghaei pistachio has completely light and white skin, while another type has yellow and dark cream skin (darker than the other one).

The lighter the pistachio skin and the lower its turbidity, the higher the demand for it, and its price is higher too, because of its beauty and global popularity.

One of the important and effective factors in determining the price of pistachio is its price in the global market. The lower or closer the price of pistachio to the worldwide market price, the better the possibility of exporting.

In light of MedicalNewsToday magazine’s research, pistachio is a super nutritious food, and like all nuts, it has a high percentage of fat. Regular consumption of pistachio can help improve the health and well-being of the body, mainly for the heart and gut health.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says, that tree nuts, including pistachios, can be part of a heart-healthy diet. The evidence has shown (but does not prove) that eating 1.5 ounces of most nuts in a day may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Altogether, the nutritional value and properties of pistachios are as follows:

Pistachio is loaded with vitamins and minerals. You can “see” the nutrients through the various colors in the pistachio. For example, the green and yellow color of the kernel comes from lutein and zeaxanthin (Two carotenoids that are beneficial antioxidants). Or the thin purple skin surrounding the pistachio seed is full of anthocyanins (a type of antioxidant). Pistachios are also a good source of vitamin B6 and phosphorus. Moreover, pistachios contain potassium. A ½ cup of pistachios offers more potassium than a large banana.

Although pistachio and other nuts had a bad reputation up to the present time, as a consequence of their high-fat content, the advancement of nutrition science has shown that the type of fat in nuts is more important than the amount of fat (quality is more important than quantity!). ½ cup of pistachio has 30 grams of fat. healthy unsaturated fats. Pistachios are one of the lowest in fat compared to most other nuts.

There are 18 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber in ½ cup of pistachios. Pistachios have healthy fat and fiber. So, eating pistachios after foods that have a lot of carbohydrates (such as white rice, bread, potatoes, etc.) helps lower the spike in blood sugar (sugar that is absorbed through these foods).

There are approximately 13 grams of protein in ½ cup of pistachios, which can be placed in the diet of everyone, markedly vegetarians.

Studies conducted on pistachios show that pistachios probably play an important role in preventing colon cancer. This study was carried out on more than 800 patients with colon cancer over several years. In conclusion, this study says a diet that includes a high amount of pistachios and nuts has a significant role in reducing the risk of cancer or death in patients with stage III colon cancer.

Taking pistachios reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Research has shown that a moderate-fat diet containing pistachios lowers blood pressure, particularly under conditions of acute stress, in contrast to a normal diet.

As has been mentioned, the green and yellow colors of pistachios indicate the presence of lutein and zeaxanthin in pistachios, these two carotenoids are extremely effective in eye health.