Study of pomegranate ripening by dielectric spectroscopy

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L) is one of the fruits most recently studied for its many health benefits and its high antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. Currently, the industry uses destructive methods to ensure the quality standards demanded by consumers. In this context, dielectric spectroscopy is presented as an interesting technique to monitor, on-line, fruit quality standards and ripening changes. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the major components of pomegranate and its structure on the dielectric spectrum between 500 MHz and 20 GHz. Some physical, chemical and dielectric measurements were carried out in the arils, spongy white tissues and peel. A maturity index was defined based on dielectric properties of fruit at two different frequencies, 2.4 and 1.2 GHz. The results demonstrated the utility of this index for pomegranate. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.