[en] The nutritional and therapeutic significance of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) oil stems also from
its elevated levels of unsaturated and essential fatty acids. The extraction method employed to isolate natural compounds from the raw material significantly impacts product quality, especially in preserving its nutritional value. This research investigates the applicability of a fast and greener lipid extraction methodology assisted by microwave in fresh pistachios. The solvents used in the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were based on methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), used as one-solvent extraction or in a mixture with methanol (CH3OH) and water. In the latter, using the same solvents composition and ratio of Matyash method (10/3/2.5 v/v/v). MAE methods were compared in terms of extraction yields and fatty acid (FA) composition of pistachio oil to Soxhlet and Matyash, gold-standard methodologies normally used for lipid extraction. FAs, derivatized into methyl esters (MEs), were analyzed through a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. The results obtained by MAE-MTBE were in line, in terms of extraction yields and FAMEs composition, compared to the other extraction methodologies. MAE-MTBE also proved to be a greener extraction procedure than the reference ones when evaluated based on the AGREEprep metrics.
