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Effect of Genotype on the Sprouting of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Seeds as a Source of Phenolic Compounds from Juice Industry by-Products

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Abstract

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruits are used mainly by the juice industry, for which seeds are a by-product to be disposed of, though they could potentially be a source of bioactive compounds. In this work, germination (total germination percentage, G; mean germination time, MGT; time to reach 80% of germination, TG80; seedling shoot length, fresh weight and dry matter), and nutritional value (total phenolics, TP; total flavonoids, TF; total non-tannins, TNT; antioxidant activities) of pomegranate seeds and sprouts were determined on four commercial pomegranate cultivars (Akko, Dente di Cavallo, Mollar de Elche and Wonderful). Seeds were removed from ripe fruits and incubated in plastic trays containing sterile cotton wetted with distilled water. Sprout shoots were harvested when they reached the complete cotyledon expansion, i.e., the ready-to-eat stage. Akko showed the best germination performance (G = 98%; MGT = 14 days after sowing, DAS; TG80 = 16 DAS), followed by Mollar de Elche. Sprouting dramatically increased TP, TF, TNT and antioxidant activity in all genotypes, with the highest values recorded in Mollar de Elche and Dente di Cavallo. Overall, based on germination performance, Akko and Mollar de Elche would be the best cultivars for sprouting. Sprouting pomegranate seeds appears to be a suitable way of utilizing by-products of the juice industry to obtain bioactive compounds.

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Abbreviations

ABTS:

2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) sodium salt

DAS:

Days after sowing

DPPH:

2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

DW:

Dry weight

FRAP:

Ferric reducing antioxidant power

G:

Germination percentage

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalent

MGT:

Mean germination time

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

TE:

Trolox equivalent

TF:

Total flavonoids

TG80:

Time to reach 80% germination

TNT:

Total non-tannins

TP:

Total phenolics

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Mr. Silvano Locchi for technical assistance in the seed lab and Mr. Giacomo Linoci for providing the pomegranate fruits used in this study. We thank Darcy Gordon (PhD) for language editing and for critical review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy

    Beatrice Falcinelli, Ombretta Marconi, Stefano Maranghi, Franco Famiani & Paolo Benincasa

  2. Groupe de Recherche en Physiologie Végétale (GRPV), Earth and Life Institute-Agronomy (ELI-A), Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 45, boite L7.07.13, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Stanley Lutts

  3. Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l’Olivicoltura e l’Industria Olearia (CREA-OLI), via Nursina 2, 06049, Spoleto, PG, Italy

    Adolfo Rosati

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  1. Beatrice Falcinelli
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  2. Ombretta Marconi
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Correspondence to Paolo Benincasa.

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Falcinelli, B., Marconi, O., Maranghi, S. et al. Effect of Genotype on the Sprouting of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Seeds as a Source of Phenolic Compounds from Juice Industry by-Products. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 72, 432–438 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-017-0645-y

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