Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activities of Pomegranate Fruit (Punica granatum) of Different Cultivars Grown in Iran

The purpose of this research was to analyze and compare the physicochemical properties, along with the antioxidant activity of fifteen different pomegranate cultivars grown in Iran. The fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, skin thickness, skin percentage, aril percentage, and juice percentage were within the range of 204.3-288.5 g, 70.2-81.6 mm, 76.0-84.7 mm, 2.92-6.51 mm, 36.3-75.2%, 26.3-61.9%, and 16.1-44.4%, respectively. Total soluble solid content varied from 11.0 to 15.42 degrees Brix, pH values from 2.87 to 4.36, titratable acidity from 0.38 to 1.52 g/100 g fresh weight, total sugars content from 6.9 to 21.4 g/100 g fresh weight, total anthocyanins content from 5.54 to 26.9 mg/100 g fresh weight, ascorbic acid from 7.19 to 15.5 mg/100 g fresh weight, and total phenolics from 159.8 to 984.2 mg/100 g fresh weight. The antioxidant activity of pomegranate juice, as determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assays, was between 16.0 and 54.4%. In addition, the antioxidant activity was positively correlated with the total phenolics (r = 0.95), total anthocyanins (r = 0.90), and ascorbic acid (r = 0.75). These results demonstrated that the cultivar is the main factor determining the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities in pomegranates.