Iranian Pistachio Grades & Standards
Here is the standards and grades of Iranian Pistachios compared to American pistachios.
Max. moisture content: 5% (raw), 3% (roasted)
Foreign material (FM): zero tolerance on glass, metal and live insects FM can include debris such as hull, stems, shells and sand.
Variety:
– long pistachios have a ratio of the length to the largest diameter > 1.52
– round pistachios have a ratio of the length to the largest diameter < 1.52
Non-uniformity of variety: the percentage of round pistachios in a sample of long pistachios or vice versa
Non-uniformity of size: in a sample of 100 nuts take the ratio of the total weight of the 10 largest nuts to the total weight of the 10 smallest nuts.
LEARN MORE ABOUT Different Iranian Pistachio Products
ISIRI (Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran) sets standards for the following Iranian pistachio products in their website [1]:
- In-Shell Pistachio Nuts: ISIRI 15 4th revision
- Mechanically Opened Pistachio Nuts: ISIRI 4919 1st revision
- Closed Shell Pistachio Nuts: ISIRI 4921 1st revision
- Pistachio Kernels: ISIRI 218 4th revision
- Split Pistachio Kernels: ISIRI 3639 1st revision
- Green Peeled Pistachio Kernels: ISIRI 4631 1st revision
- Pistachio Oil: ISIRI 6655 no revision
- Pistachio Paste: ISIRI 5691 no revision
- Pistachio Powder: ISIRI 9636 no revision
The table below contains a shortened version of specifications for the five pistachio grades set out by ISIRI Standard 15 for in-shell pistachio nuts:
Maximum Permissible Moisture Content:
- For Roasted Pistachios: maximum 3% free water content.
- For Raw Dried Pistachios: maximum 5% free water content.
American Pistachio Standards
- “U.S. Fancy,” “U.S. Extra No. 1,” “U.S. No. 1,” and “U.S. Select”:
Size: not less than 30/64 inch in diameter as measured by a round hole screen.
- S. Artificially Opened & U.S. Non-Split
Size: not less than 30/64 inch in diameter as measured by a round hole screen.
The tolerances of USA pistachio products:
Pictures are from http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/175745.pdf
Size Designation [2]:
Nuts may be regarded as meeting a size designation specified in Table IV or a range in number of nuts per ounce, provided, the weight of 10 percent, by count, of the most massive nuts in a sample does not exceed 1.50 times the mass of 10 percent, by count, of the smallest and the average number of nuts per ounce is not more than one-half nut above or below the extremes of the range specified. You can see their exact size in the table below:
Definitions
Variety: Iranian pistachios are classified into two categories according to their shape: long pistachios, where the ratio of the length to the largest diameter is more than 1.52; and round pistachios, where the ratio of the length to the largest diameter is less than 1.52.
Foreign material: Metal, glass, and live insects are considered completely forbidden foreign substances. Acceptable foreign materials are pistachio related debris such as stems, hull, shells, and sand.
Non-uniformity of variety: Ratio of the round pistachios in a sample of long pistachios or vice versa.
Non-uniformity of Size: the percentage of the total weight of the 10 largest nuts in a sample of 100 nuts to the weight of the smallest 10.
Visual Definitions for Pistachio Standards:
