MATERIALS AND METHODS
Pomegranate fruit and preparation of the extracts Pomegranate fruits were purchased from local markets
in Bangkok. After opening the fruit, the arils (with seeds) were manually separated from the peels. Collected peels and arils were then rinsed with tap water. These peels and arils were ground separately in a blender. Fifty grams of blended peels or arils were placed in 250-ml Erlenmeyer flasks, followed by adding 100 ml of solvents having an increasing
polarity: acetone, 95% ethanol, and hot water. The flasks were then shaken at room temperature for 18 h
prior to filtration. The filtrates were concentrated under reduced pressure with a rotary evaporator at 40 °C. These crude extracts were kept at 4 °C until
use.