Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fruit quality of Italian pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) autochthonous varieties

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Food Research and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Pomegranate is getting an increasing attention for its health-promoting effects. Collection and characterization of plants of local sources has been performed, and five accessions have been propagated and cultivated in a collection field for extra situ investigations. Accessions differ for pomological traits and chemical composition. Three of them, MG1, MG2, and MG3, belong to typology with low-medium acidity and high sugar content, while the other two, Tordimonte A and B, belong to typology with high acidity. In the juice and in the peels’ extract of Tordimonte A accession a high level of punicalin has been found through chromatographic determinations, while the presence of punicalagin was found in the juice of accession MG1. The accessions MG1, MG2, and MG3 seem particularly suitable for direct commercialization of fruits due to the fruit traits and quality (sweet varieties), while Tordimonte A and B could be valuable for juice processing (sour varieties).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aaby K, Ekeberg D, Skrede G (2007) Characterization of phenolic compounds in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruits by different HPLC detectors and contribution of individual compounds to total antioxidant capacity. J Agric Food Chem 55:4395–4406

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Adams LS, Seeram NP, Aggarwal BB, Takada Y, Sand D, Heber D (2006) Pomegranate juice, total pomegranate ellagitannins, and punicalagin suppress infiammatory cell signaling in colon cancer cells. J Agric Food Chem 54:980–985

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Aviram M, Dorenfeld L, Rosenblat L, Volkova N, Kaplan M, Hayeck T, Presser D, Fuhrman B (2000) Pomegranate juice consumption reduces oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL, and platelet aggregation: studies in humans and in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Am J Clin Nutr 71:1062–1076

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Aviram M, Volkova N, Coleman R, Dreher M, Reddy MK, Ferreira D (2008) Pomegranate phenolics from the peels, arils and flowers are antiatherogenic: studies in vivo in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein e-deficient (E0) mice and in vitro in cultured macrophages and lipoproteins. J Agric Food Chem 56:1148–1157

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Barone E, Caruso T, Marra FP, Sottile F (2001) Preliminary observations on some Sicilian pomegranate (Punica granatum L) varieties. J Am Pomol Soc 55(1):4–7

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bell C, Hawthorne S (2008) Ellagic acid, pomegranate and prostate cancer—a mini review. J Pharm Pharmacol 60:139–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bignami C, Cammilli C, Ciaccia C, Roviglioni R, Brancaleone M, Cerrito A (2006) Salvaguardia e valorizzazione delle antiche varietà da frutto per lo sviluppo di economie di nicchia: analisi morfo-agronomica e biochimica di ecotipi di Punica granatum L. nel sud del Lazio. Italus Hortus 13(2):182–185

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chace EM, Church GG, Poore HH (1981) The wonderful variety of pomegranate. USDA Circ 98:15

    Google Scholar 

  9. Dell’Agli M, Galli GV, Corbett Y, Taramelli D, Lucantoni L, Habluetzel A, Maschi O, Caruso D, Giavarini F, Romeo S, Bhattacharya D, Bosisio E (2009) Antiplasmodial Activity of Punica granatum L. Fruit Rind J Ethnopharmacol 125:279–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Dixon RA, Paiva NL (1995) Stress-induced phenylpropanoid metabolism. Plant Cell 7:1085–1097

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Fadavi A, Barzegar M, Azizi MH, Bayat M (2005) Physicochemical composition of 10 pomegranate cultivars (Punica granatum L.) grown in Iran. Food Sci Technol Int 11:13–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hepaksoy S, Erogul D, Şen F, Aksoy U (2009) Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of some turkish pomegranate varieties. Acta Hortic 818:241–248

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kerhoas L, Aouak D, Cingŏz A, Routaboul J-M, Lepienec L, Einhorn J, Birlirakis N (2006) Structural characterization of the major flavonoid glycosides from Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. J Agric Food Chem 54:6603–6612

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Labreque L, Lamy S, Chapus A, Mihoubi S, Durocher Y, Cass B, Bojanowski MW, Gingras D, Béliveau R (2005) Combined inhibition of PDGF and VEGF receptors by ellagic acid, a dietary-derived phenolic compound. Carcinogenesis 26:821–826

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Malik A, Afaq F, Sarfaraz S, Adhami VM, Syed DN, Mukhtar H (2005) Pomegranate fruit juice for chemoprevention and chemotherapy of prostate cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:14813–14818

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Malik A, Mukhtar H (2006) Prostate cancer prevention through pomegranate fruit. Cell Cycle 5:371–373

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mancinelli AL, Huang-Yang CP, Lindquist P, Anderson OR, Rabino I (1975) Photocontrol of anthocyanin synthesis III. The action of streptomycin on the synthesis of chlorophyll and anthocyanin. Plant Physiol 55:251–257

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Martinez JJ, Melgarejo P, Hernandez F, Salazarm DM, Martinez R (2006) Seed characterisation of five new pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) varieties. Scientia Hort 110:241–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Mullen W, McGinn J, Lean MEJ, MacLean MR, Gardner P, Duthie GG, Yokota T, Crozier A (2002) Ellagitannins, flavonoids, and other phenolics in red raspberries and their contribution to antioxidant capacity and vasorelaxation properties. J Agric Food Chem 50:5191–5196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Ozgen M, Durgac C, Serce S, Kaya C (2008) Chemical and antioxidant properties of pomegranate cultivars grown in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Food Chem 111:703–706

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Reddy MK, Gupta SK, Jacob MR, Khan SL, Ferreira D (2007) Antioxidant, antimalarial and antimicrobial activities of tannin-rich fractions, ellagitannins and phenolic acids from Punica granatum L. Planta Med 73(5):461–467

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Seeram NP, Adams LS, Henning SM, Niu Y, Zhang Y, Naire MG, Heber D (2005) In vitro antiproliferative, apoptotic and antioxidant activities of punicalagin, ellagic acid and total pomegrante tannin extract are enhanced in combination with other polyphenols as found in pomegranate juice. J Nutr Biochem 16:360–367

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Singleton VL, Rossi JA (1965) Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolibdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents. Am J Enol Vitic 16:144–158

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Stover E, Mercure EW (2007) The pomegranate: a new look at the fruit of paradise. Hort Sci 42:1088–1092

    Google Scholar 

  25. Sumner MD, Elliot-Eller M, Weidner G, Daubenmire JJ, Chew MH, Marlin R, Raisin CJ, Ornish D (2005) Effects of pomegranate juice consumption on myocardial perfusion in patients with coronary heart disease. Am J Cardiol 96:810–814

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Tezcan F, Gültekin-Özgüven M, Diken T, Özcelik B, Erim FB (2009) Antioxidant activity and total phenolic, organic acid and sugar content in commercial pomegranate juices. Food Chem 115:873–877

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Tzulker R, Glazer I, Bar-Ilan I, Holland D, Avimar M, Amir R (2007) Antioxidant activity, polyphenol content and related compounds in different juices and homogenates prepared from 29 different pomegranate accessions. J Agric Food Chem 55:9559–9570

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Yurttas HC, Schafer HW, Warthesen JJ (2000) Antioxidant activity of non-tocopherol hazelnut (Corylus spp.) phenolics. J Food Sci 63:276–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Wang RF, Xie WD, Zhang Z, Xing DM, Ding Y, Wang W, Ma C, Du LJ (2004) Bioactive compounds from seeds of Punica granatum (pomegranate). J Nat Prod 67: 2096–2098

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the University of Tuscia and by Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo e l’Innovazione dell’Agricoltura del Lazio.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Production, University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de’ Lellis, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    Valerio Cristofori, Gabriele Latini, Corrado Cammilli, Eddo Rugini & Rosario Muleo

  2. Department of Pharmacological Science, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Donatella Caruso & Mario Dell’Agli

  3. Research Centre for the Characterization and Safe use of Natural Compounds “Giovanni Galli”, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Donatella Caruso & Mario Dell’Agli

  4. Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, Pad. Besta, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Cristina Bignami

Authors
  1. Valerio Cristofori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Donatella Caruso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gabriele Latini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mario Dell’Agli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Corrado Cammilli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Eddo Rugini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Cristina Bignami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Rosario Muleo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosario Muleo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cristofori, V., Caruso, D., Latini, G. et al. Fruit quality of Italian pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) autochthonous varieties. Eur Food Res Technol 232, 397–403 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-010-1390-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-010-1390-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation