An Overview of the Health Benefits, Extraction Methods and Improving the Properties of Pomegranate

Abstract

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a polyphenol-rich edible food and medicinal plant of ancient origin, containing flavonols, anthocyanins, and tannins, with ellagitannins as the most abundant polyphenols. In the last decades, its consumption and scientific interest increased, due to its multiple beneficial effects. Pomegranate is a balausta fruit, a large berry surrounded by a thick colored peel composed of exocarp and mesocarp with edible arils inside, from which the pomegranate juice can be produced by pressing. Seeds are used to obtain the seed oil, rich in fatty acids. The non-edible part of the fruit, the peel, although generally disposed as a waste or transformed into compost or biogas, is also used to extract bioactive products. This review summarizes some recent preclinical and clinical studies on pomegranate, which highlight promising beneficial effects in several fields. Although further insight is needed on key aspects, including the limited oral bioavailability and the role of possible active metabolites, the ongoing development of suitable encapsulation and green extraction techniques enabling the valorization of waste pomegranate products point to the great potential of pomegranate and its bioactive constituents as dietary supplements or adjuvants in therapies of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases.

Improved Cardiovascular Effects of a Novel Pomegranate Byproduct Extract Obtained through Hydrodynamic Cavitation

“…The fruit (known by the name balausta) is represented by a large fleshy berry containing small red arils, composed of pulp (78%) and seeds (22%). Finally, the balausta is contained by a peel, which accounts for almost 50% of the whole fruit and is composed of a mesocarp which forms locules for the arils [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…Pomegranate is indeed a source of organic acids, polyphenols—especially flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, and phenolic acids, including punicalagins, ellagic acid (EA), and gallic acid—tocopherols, vitamins, and terpenes [ 6 ]. Undoubtedly, the main phytochemicals involved in the beneficial effects are ellagitannins, among which punicalagins are the major constituents, which are metabolized into EA, and into urolithins by the gut microbiota at the gastro-intestinal level [ 3 , 7 ].…”

“…Pomegranate is consumed on a daily basis as a fresh fruit or as processed products—for example juice, jam, oil or infusion—but nowadays, supplementation with its components is also considered for a possible use as an adjuvant for the treatment of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases [ 2 , 3 ]. Indeed, pomegranate and its metabolites have interesting perspectives in the nutraceutical and nutritional fields and recent studies focused on their application in clinical use.…”

“…The main product obtained from the processing of pomegranate is juice; however, its non-edible parts can be used for infusion, tea, or spices due to their multiple properties [ 3 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Moreover, P. granatum seeds, rich in sterols and fatty acids, are used to obtain an oil rich in sterols and fatty acids [ 3 , 12 ].…”

“…However, the food industry produces a large amount of waste, consisting mainly of pomegranate peel and seeds, and research is scrambling to find new methods and applications for the use of such byproducts that are rich in bioactive compounds, such as new innovative packaging, cosmetic products, animal feed, or food additives, as well as to develop new extractive techniques to enable the sustainable exploitation of the byproducts [ 3 , 13 , 14 ].…”