Pomegranate juice is well known for its health beneficial compounds, which can be attributed to its high level of antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content. Our objective was to study the relationships between antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content, total anthocyanins content, and the levels of four major hydrolyzable tannins in four different juices/homogenates prepared from different sections of the fruit. To this end, 29 different accessions were tested. The results showed that the antioxidant activity in aril juice correlated significantly to the total polyphenol and anthocyanin contents. However, the homogenates prepared from the whole fruit exhibited an approximately 20-fold higher antioxidant activity than the level found in the aril juice. Unlike the arils, the antioxidant level in the homogenates correlated significantly to the content of the four hydrolyzable tannins in which punicalagin is predominant, while no correlation was found to the level of anthocyanins.

The well-established health beneficial value of pomegranate juice is leading to increased demand for pomegranate products and to the expansion of pomegranate orchards worldwide. The current study describes differences in the chemical composition of major ingredients of the arils and peels of 11 accessions grown in Mediterranean and desert climates in Israel. In most of the accessions, the levels of antioxidant activity and content of total phenolics, total anthocyanins, total soluble solids, glucose, fructose, and acidity were higher in the aril juice of fruit grown in the Mediterranean climate compared to those grown in the desert climate. However, the peels of fruit grown in the desert climate exhibited higher antioxidant activity, and the levels of total phenolics, including the two hydrolyzable tannins, punicalagin and punicalin, were higher compared to those in the peels of fruit grown in the Mediterranean climate. The results indicate that environmental conditions significantly affect pomegranate fruit quality and health beneficial compounds.