Effect of cultivar and blanching of pomegranate seeds on physicochemical properties, nutritional qualities and antioxidant capacity of extracted oil

This study investigated the effect of cultivar and blanching of pomegranate seeds (PS) on quality attributes of the extracted oil. The quality attributes studied included oil yield, refractive index (RI), yellowness index (YI), conjugated dienes (K₂₃₂), peroxide value (PV), ρ-anisidine value (AV), total oxidation value (TOTOX), total carotenoids content (TCC), total phenolic content (TPC), fatty acid composition, phytosterol composition, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity. Three different cultivars of PS (‘Wonderful’, ‘Herskawitz’ and ‘Acco’) were blanched at 95 °C for 3 min. In each experiment, unblanched PS were used as the control. Blanching of PS improved oil yield, YI and DPPH radical scavenging capacity, while it decreased TCC, FRAP and TOTOX. The effect of blanching PS varied among the individual fatty acids and phytosterols. Interestingly, blanching of PS increased punicic acid content and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acid (UFA: SFA). The K₂₃₂, RI and TPC of the oil extracts were not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by blanching. TPC was strongly correlated (r = 0.876) with FRAP. Principal component analysis established that ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Acco’ oil extracts from blanched PS were associated with oil yield, YI and β-sitosterol, whereas ‘Herskawitz’ oil extracts from blanched PS were correlated with punicic acid, FRAP and DPPH radical scavenging capacity. In conclusion, blanching ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Acco’ PS may improve oil yield, β-sitosterol content and colour, whilst blanching ‘Herskawitz’ PS may enhance the antioxidant capacity of extracted oil, which is beneficial in the cosmetic, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and food industries.