Should I buy yellow or white pistachios?

Pistachios are rich in nutrients, crunchy and delicious, so many people like to eat them. This type of nut is very good for health because it contains more than 30 vitamins, especially vitamin B6, which helps boost immunity.

With a high content of monounsaturated fat (25gr/100gr), pistachios help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL-C), prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaque that clogs arteries and reduces the risk of heart attack.

When buying pistachios, should you choose yellow or white shells?

When buying pistachios, you often see bright white shells, yellowish shells, and even quite dark shells. That is why many people ask the question when buying pistachios, should they choose yellow or white shells to have a more delicious, fragrant, and rich batch of nuts.

First of all, when choosing to buy pistachios, you should prioritize large and plump nuts. Color is also a factor to pay attention to. Normally, the natural color of the pistachio shell is light yellow. If they are shiny white, they are likely to be soaked in chemicals and should not be purchased.

Master Le Thanh Hai, lecturer of the Faculty of Post-Harvest Technology, Hung Vuong University, Ho Chi Minh City, said that to bleach the pistachio shell, the applicable method is to use sodium sulfite (soluble sodium salt of sulfurous acid) or sulfur dioxide gas in the form of salt (usually Na2SO3) or heavy gas (SO2). If the technology is advanced, SO2 gas can be recovered, bleaching continuously to help the seeds whiten quickly and evenly.

People can also use chlorine, a strong chlorine-based disinfectant found in disinfectants, pesticides, Agent Orange, etc. This method is toxic because chlorine residue can stick to the product. During the bleaching process, chlorine easily penetrates the seed through the cracks into the kernel; or when roasting chestnuts, under the influence of heat, chlorine evaporates and penetrates deep into the kernel.

“If you occasionally eat chlorinated chestnuts, your body has a mechanism to eliminate toxins. However, if you eat them regularly for a long time, the toxins will remain in your body, and over time, the residue will increase. If your liver cannot filter them, liver cancer is inevitable,” Mr. Hai noted.

When buying pistachios, you can also smell them to distinguish. If there is a pungent or unpleasant smell, it means that the nuts have been treated with bleaching chemicals, it is best not to buy them.

To ensure safety, you should choose pistachios that are slightly yellow or slightly brown, although not eye-catching, but safer than bleached ones. In addition, you should buy the ones with clear origin and expiration date.

Although it is not possible to confirm 100% that white-shelled pistachios circulating on the market are toxic because this depends on the technology and chemicals used, it is clear that the risk from bleached nuts is always higher than that from natural nuts.

How to choose good pistachios

In addition to the shell color factor as mentioned above, to choose delicious pistachios, you need to observe and consider the following points:

Kernel color

On the market today, there are many types of pistachios with flawless white shells and eye-catching green kernels. As mentioned, this is the bleached type. Unbleached pistachios have kernels covered by a brown silk shell on the outside, with a natural green interior, a hard shell that is slightly brown or slightly yellow, not smooth but can be rough.

Size

Good pistachios are of moderate size, not too big or too small, and plump. You should choose nuts with uniform shape, avoid nuts with distorted or deformed shape.

Taste

If you buy a package of pistachios that have a pungent smell and taste a bit bitter, those are the nuts that have been bleached with chemicals. Natural pistachios, without chemicals, are usually sweet, fragrant, and not bitter. When you eat them, you will feel the nutty taste and the dry crunchiness, very delicious.