Why Are My Pistachios Yellow?

Anthocyanins may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties similar to EGCG. Pistachios get their yellow color from a catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG may shield our cells from free radical damage.

Pistachios get their yellow color from a catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG may shield our cells from free radical damage.

What does a rancid pistachio look like?

On the outside, good pistachio nuts are full and rounded. Your pistachios may have gone rancid as a result of dehydrated, shriveled nuts. Don’t eat mold unless you’re Alexander Fleming. It’s time to toss your pistachios with a dusty coating of gray or black powder.

How do you keep pistachios green?

To skin pistachio nuts, you need to blanch the pistachios and shock them in cold water to lift the papery brown pistachio skins off, revealing the green pistachio nuts underneath. I let the peeled pistachios air dry on sheets of paper towel and use them within a day.

Fortunately, the pistachio nuts that were most susceptible to mold and aflatoxin contamination, rough early splits infested with navel orangeworm, had several physical characteristics (weight, size, shell discoloration, and hull appearance), which made them distinct from normal nuts that could be removed during processing.