Pomegranate juices obtained from different cleaning processes
Separation of arils from the peels represents a critical process
during pomegranate juice preparation and, often, a specific technology
is required, in order to obtain the highest percentage of arils.
In fact, itwas shown that fruit membranes are the fruit components
with the highest phenol content, but the presence of peels during
juice extraction leads to an increase of bitterness and astringency,
due to the presence of tannins (Rosenblat & Aviram, 2006). However,
pomegranate juices are now prevalently consumed for their
health attributes, mainly for the antioxidant properties, and an
improved extraction of polyphenols from the peels could lead to
juices with higher health effects that can balance the eventual
defect of a slight bitterness. This can offer also the advantage of a
simplification of the technological process. So, in order to study the
extent of extraction of polyphenols from the peels and the effects
on juice composition and organoleptic properties, several pomegranate
juices with different rawmaterials (Table 1) were prepared.
All the juices were then analysed for pH, acidity, soluble solids,
proteins, polyphenols, and total antioxidant activity and the obtained
data are reported in Table 2.
The first data emerging is that the juice obtained from the whole
fruit (PJ1) differs from the others as it shows the lowest levels of
acidity, soluble substances, proteins and polyphenols contents but