Effects of juicing methods on the bioactive compounds and flavor quality of ‘Black‐seed’ pomegranate from three producing areas

Abstract

BACKGROUNDColor, nutrients and flavor are the key characteristics of pomegranate juice, but they are susceptible to processing methods and raw materials. In this study, the effects of arils juicing and whole fruit juicing methods on composition of ‘Black‐seed’ pomegranate juice from 3 producing areas were studied, including physicochemical parameters, color attributes, organic acids, sugars, phenolic compounds, and volatile compounds.RESULTSThe whole fruit juicing method resulted in higher juice yields of pomegranate fruit with 69.01% ~ 72.59%, reductions of hue angle values with 5.95 ~ 6.45, and the juice remained red. The highest level of citric acid (21.21 g L‐1), total acids (24.78 g L‐1), and total anthocyanins content (435.59 mg L‐1) were found in whole fruit juice, and 7 tannins were detected. The most abundant volatile compounds were (Z)‐3‐hexen‐1‐ol and 1‐hexanol in all juice samples, and alcohols content increased and aldehydes content decreased by whole fruit juicing. Principal component analysis revealed that the 24 indexes (variable important in projection >1) clearly distinguished juice samples obtained by two juicing methods, and ellagic acid hexoside, (E)‐2‐heptenal, (+)‐catechin, and octanoic acid had the best discriminatory potential.CONCLUSIONOverall, the effects of juicing method on ‘Black‐seed’ pomegranate juice were greater than those of raw material producing areas. These results confirmed the good prospect for using the whole ‘Black‐seed’ pomegranate for processing, and also provided a theoretical basis for the healthy product development and utilization of dark color pomegranate varieties.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.