Determination of antioxidant phenolic, nutritional quality and volatiles in pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) cultivated in Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pomegranate is known for high concentration of antioxidant phenolics contained in its seeds, and peel, and is considered “healthy” due to its nutritional content and biological actions. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional quality, volatile and phenolic antioxidants in the juice, peel and seeds of pomegranate from two different regions of Mexico. The pomegranate variety Wonderful of the 2016 cycle, obtained from the Coyame and Cuauhtémoc regions of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, were used to characterize the total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, nutritional quality and volatile compounds. Significant differences were found in evaluated parameters between the two regions. Pomegranates from Coyame region, had high amounts of antioxidant, phenol, flavonoid, anthocyanin and mineral. On the other hand, pomegranates from the Cuauhtémoc region had high amounts of protein, organic elements, and volatile compounds (alcohols, esters and aldehydes). Within these groups, the most abundant compounds were hexanol, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, hexanal, 4-Terpineol, α-Terpineol, and 2-Ethyl-1-hexanol. In the peel, high concentration of color, phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants were observed. The extract of pomegranate juice had 59% anthocyanin content. The seeds had the highest mineral content. These results provide relevant information about the chemical properties of the pomegranate.