Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate Juice and Its Relationship with Phenolic Composition and Processing

Abstract

The antioxidant activity of pomegranate juices was evaluated by four different methods (ABTS, DPPH, DMPD, and FRAP) and compared to those of red wine and a green tea infusion. Commercial pomegranate juices showed an antioxidant activity (18-20 TEAC) three times higher than those of red wine and green tea (6-8 TEAC). The activity was higher in commercial juices extracted from whole pomegranates than in experimental juices obtained from the arils only (12-14 TEAC). HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS analyses of the juices revealed that commercial juices contained the pomegranate tannin punicalagin (1500-1900 mg/L) while only traces of this compound were detected in the experimental juice obtained from arils in the laboratory. This shows that pomegranate industrial processing extracts some of the hydrolyzable tannins present in the fruit rind. This could account for the higher antioxidant activity of commercial juices compared to the experimental ones. In addition, anthocyanins, ellagic acid derivatives, and hydrolyzable tannins were detected and quantified in the pomegranate juices.

Genesis and development of DPPH method of antioxidant assay

“…It considers not only the antioxidant concentration but also the reaction time of scavenging reaction to reach the plateau. The results are highly reproducible and comparable to other free radical scavenging methods Gil et al 2000). The antioxidant efficiency is measured at ambient temperature so that the risk of thermal degradation of the molecules tested is eliminated (Bondet et al 1997).…”

Anthocyanin‐ and hydrolyzable tannin‐rich pomegranate fruit extract modulates MAPK and NF‐κB pathways and inhibits skin tumorigenesis in CD‐1 mice

“…Importantly, topical application of PFE prior to TPA application was found to inhibit TPA-mediated phosphorylation of MAPKs (Figs. [5][6][7][8]. Several studies have shown that JNK pathway plays a major role in cellular function, such as cell proliferation and transformation, 64 whereas the ERK pathway suppresses apoptosis and enhances cell survival or tumorigenesis.…”

“…Pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) is a rich source of 2 types of polyphenolic compounds: anthocyanins (such as delphinidin, cyanidin and pelargonidin), which give the fruit and juice its red color, and hydrolyzable tannins (such as punicalin, pedunculagin, punicalagin, gallagic and ellagic acid esters of glucose), which account for 92% of the antioxidant activity of the whole fruit. 7 The soluble polyphenol content in pomegranate juice varies between 0.2% and 1.0%. 8 In recent years, health-promoting effects of PFE are being examined.…”

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate Molasses by 2,2-Diphenyl-l-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) Method

“…Reference [31] stated that the antioxidant level in pomegranate juice was higher than found in many fruit juices, such as blueberry, cranberry, and orange. Reference [32] and Reference [33] demonstrated that pomegranate juice and seed extracts have 2-3 fold more in vitro antioxidant capacity than red wine or green tea. Ellagitannins, mainly punicalagins, are reported to be responsible for over 50% of the antioxidant activity and the above health promoting features of pomegranate [34], [35].…”

“…Clarification step is generally omitted since customers prefer bitterness and sourness caused by phenolic substances and acidity [36]- [38]. The antioxidant activity of pomegranate fruit juice, peels, leaves, arils or seeds have been reported separately by several researchers due to their wellknown ethnomedical relevance and chemical features [33], [39]- [44], [25], [4], however, there are few reports on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of pomegranate molasses [45], [46]. Therefore, the main objective of the present work was to determine the antioxidant activity of pomegranate molasses by the DPPH assay, as well as the total phenolics contents.…”