Abstract
Due to the growing awareness of Punica granatum fruit’s health-promoting properties, the pomegranate is increasingly used for food purposes. This results in the formation of biological waste products such as peels. A biowaste circular bioeconomy strategy holds great prospective for a sustainable economy. Therefore, a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of disposing of waste (e.g., use of biowaste to obtain high-value components (e.g., punicalagins, enzymes)) is crucial for the protection of the environment and human health. In the presented study, the content of total phenols and proanthocyanidins in ten samples of Punica granatum fruit (juice, aqueous (H2O) and ethanolic (EtOH) extracts of peels and seeds) was determined. Peel extracts were found to be the richest in the content of secondary metabolites and showed extremely high antioxidant potential (approximately 90% inhibition: DPPH radical scavenging activity). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comparative study to determine the enzymatic activity of α-amylase, lipase, peroxidase, protease, and transglutaminase in different P. granatum samples. Furthermore, the antibacterial efficacy of all P. granatum samples was qualitatively determined against three strains of Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas fluorescens) and three strains of Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes) bacteria, susceptible to gaining antibiotic resistance. Moreover, the most promising peel extracts were quantified for antibacterial efficacy against tested bacteria at five different concentrations. All samples slowed down and inhibited the growth of all tested bacteria. MIC90 values (2.7 or 0.3 mg/mL) were determined in 18 out of 24 experiments (four samples, six bacteria tested). There is no research in the reviewed literature that is current with such detailed and comprehensive determination of P. granatum peel extracts antibacterial activity. The results of the research showed great potential for the use of P. granatum in the field of antibacterial activity in biomedicine applications and in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries.
Highlights
The activity of various selected enzymes in P. granatum samples was determined for possible different applications
The results of this study show great potential of different pomegranate fruit parts as plants have been of interest for many years for isolating enzymes
The aim of this study was to investigate the enzymatic activity and content of bioactive constituents in P. granatum samples and to study their antioxidative potential and antibacterial activity with the aim to reduce the impact of biowaste on the environment
Summary
Over the past few years, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) increased drastically and poses a major medical problem and challenge around the world [1]. Health Organization, AMR is one of the top ten global public health threats confronting humanity [2]. The increasing toxicity of synthetic drugs and, at the same time, the reduction in their effectiveness are just two of the additional reasons for concern. Research in recent years has focused on finding new plant-based antimicrobials. The predisposition is excellent, as about 25–50% of current pharmaceuticals are already of plant origin [3]
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