# _Pistacia Atlantica_ Desf., a Source of Healthy Vegetable Oil
## 1 Introduction  
Pistachio of Atlas (_Pistacia atlantica_ Desf.) is a fast-growing species of the Anacardiaceae family. Its height may reach 20 meters. This species is cultivated in different soil types and tolerates abiotic stresses such as drought [1; 2]. _P. atlantica_ covers a large area spanning across North Africa, Middle East, Iran, and Afghanistan [3]. The fruits are edible drupes rich in oil, used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases and widely consumed as a nutrient by the local populations. The oil can be used in food, cosmetics, and for medicinal purposes [4; 5]. The resin is used in the food industry to prepare chewing gum and is widely exploited in dentistry [6]. The resin and fruits are also usedtraditionally for stomach aches, dysppesia, peptic ulcer, and throat infections [7]. Other applications have been reported as insect repellent [8; 9], expectorant, against asthma and chest diseases [10], plant fungi diseases [11], or in the treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections [12]. The essential oil from _Pistacia_ fruit showed fumigant activity against _Callosobruchus maculatus_, protective effects against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer, and antibacterial activity against _Helicobacter pylori_[13; 14].  
In recent decades, advances have been made in research on the consumption of natural food to improve human health. The development of functional foods, nutraceuticalals, branded foods, therapeutic foods, superfoods, and medicinal foods is influencing the current dietary habits [15]. Moreover, because of the growing demand of edible oil to satisfy the population needs and the important effects of oils on diseases prevention, oil production has witnessed a significant increase [16]. The health protective effects of oils are influenced by their fatty acid composition. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are necessary for the functioning of the brain and the eyes. They were shown to be effective in lowering total cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of breast cancer, and preventing cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases [17; 18; 19; 20; 21]. Western diets are in constant evolution, and the demand for new sources of oils containing polyunsaturated fatty acids has become a health issue [16; 22; 23].  
Essential oils contain active compounds that can be used to obtain functional materials with antioxidant, antimicrobial, or pesticidal activities [24; 25; 26]. Recent studies have reported that essential oils could provide an interesting solution for pest management and bacterial and fungal growth control in food and agricultural products in order to prevent health risks. The phytochemical composition and traditional uses of Pistachio of Atlas were well documented by [PERSON] et al. [27]. Studies have investigated oil and fatty acid composition of pistachio seeds [28; 29] as well as essential oil content and profile in pistachio leaves [8; 30; 31]. These studies focused on wild pistachio from northwest Algeria. There is no information about the composition of oil from the seeds cultivated in south Algeria, which is the most important zone of traditional cultivation of this species. Moreover, no reports are available on the volatile organic compounds (VOC) of the oil extracted from pistachio seeds. Even if this species remains underutilized, this information is important to enhance _Pistacia_ oil uses. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) can extract and pre-concentrate VOC from different matrices [28; 32]. This method can be used for the characterization of the VOC from _P. atlantica_ oil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to extract oil from pistachio harvested in Algeria and to characterize its composition in fatty acids and in volatile organic compounds.