# _Pistacia Atlantica_ Desf., a Source of Healthy Vegetable Oil
## 3 Results and Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Fatty Acids** & **Djelfa** & **Unknown [29]** & **Sfisef [28]** & **Tlemcen [34]** \\ \hline \multicolumn{5}{c}{_Saturated fatty acid (SFA)_} \\ C16:0 (Palmitic acid) & \(26.7\pm 0.7\) & \(24.0\) & \(12.2\) & \(12.2\) \\ C18:0 (Stearic acid) & \(2.1\pm 0.0\) & \(1.8\) & \(2.4\) & \(2.4\) \\ C20:0 (Arachidic acid) & \(0.1\pm 0.1\) & - & \(0.1\) & \(0.1\) \\ \hline Total SFA & \(28.8\pm 0.9\) & \(25.8\) & \(14.8\) & \(14.8\) \\ \hline \multicolumn{5}{c}{_Momousaturated fatty acid (MUFA)_} \\ \({}^{22}\)C16:1n-7 (Palmitic acid) & \(1.0\pm 0.0\) & \(1.2\) & \(1.8\) & \(1.8\) \\ C18:1n-7 (Oleic acid) & \(40.9\pm 0.2\) & \(46.0\) & \(54.2\) & \(54.2\) \\ C18:1n-7 (Vaccenic acid) & \(1.2\pm 0.0\) & - & & - \\ C20:1n-9 (Eicosenoic acid) & \(0.2\pm 0.0\) & - & & - \\ \hline Total MUFA & \(43.4\pm 0.2\) & \(47.2\) & \(55.9\) & \(55.9\) \\ \hline \multicolumn{5}{c}{_Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)_} \\ C18:2n-6 (Linoleic acid) & \(26.8\pm 0.7\) & \(27.4\) & \(28.8\) & \(28.8\) \\ C18:3n-3 (Linolenic acid) & \(1.1\pm 0.0\) & - & \(0.4\) & \(0.4\) \\ \hline Total PUFA & \(27.9\pm 0.7\) & \(27.4\) & \(29.3\) & \(29.3\) \\ \hline Total MUFA+PUFA & \(71.3\pm 0.9\) & \(74.6\) & \(85.2\) & \(85.2\) \\ \hline Oil yield (\%) & \(40.4\pm 2.2\) & \(45.0\) & \(40\) & \(39.8\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Oil content and fatty acid composition (%) of pistachio seed harvested in Djelfa (south of Algeria) in 2016 and results already published on pistachio harvested in different locations in Algeria. risk of cardiovascular arterial or thrombotic hypertension, favor anti-inflammatory processes, and participate in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases [20; 21]. It has been reported that PUFA are cardioprotective, probably due to their anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic, lipid-lowering, and antihypertensive activities [18]. PUFA are necessary for the proper functioning of the brain, eyes, and entire nervous system and to prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases [18]. Palmitic (16:0) and stearic (18:0) acids are of great interest in the food industry [46]. Oleic acid is effective in lowering total cholesterol levels [18; 47; 48] and it is associated with a low risk of breast cancer [17]. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid and, therefore, it is important in human nutrition as a structural component of the phospholipid membranes of cells throughout the body [19]. Moreover, linoleic acid helps to prevent human diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, and certain disorders like Alzheimer's disease [21]. Therefore, the oil of _P. atlantiica_ could be considered a healthy oil in relation to its fatty acid composition (Table 2). The oil of Atlas Pistachio was aromatic. The results of the SPME analysis revealed indeed 43 volatile compounds (Table 3). The chromatograms obtained in the headspace study using PDMS/CAR fiber were similar to those obtained using PDMS/DVB fiber but presented more intense peaks, therefore identification was easier (Figure 1). The chromatograms obtained with PA and PDMS fibers presented fewer peaks with lower intensities. The identification was performed initially by comparison of the experimental mass spectra with those reported in the NIST library. The compounds detected were mainly monoterpens (C\({}_{10}\)H\({}_{16}\)). Sesquiterpenes (C\({}_{15}\)H\({}_{24}\)) were detected (Table 3) in a smaller quantity (these molecules are less volatile). Some of these compounds including \(\alpha\)-pinene, \(\beta\)-pinene, \(\gamma-\)terpinene terpinen-4-ol, D-germacrene, \(\beta\)-caryophyllene, bornyl acetate, and camphene were identified as major components of leaves' essential oils of Atlas pistachio depending on the region where the leaves were collected [30; 31]. Moreover, these compounds have shown significant antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacterial strains compared to Gram-negative strains [8].