Functional properties of pomegranate fruit parts: influence of packaging systems and storage time

The aim of the study was to investigate the total phenolic and fatty acid composition, antioxidant and functional properties of pomegranate fruit (peel and seed oil) obtained from fruit subjected to different packaging system and long-term storage. Changes in the phytochemical characteristics and functional properties of fruit peel and seeds were investigated. The total phenolic concentration of the fruit peel declined progressively with prolonged storage. Rutin was the predominant flavonoid (3446.24 mg kg⁻¹) in the peel, which declined by 65% in the fruit packed inside a polyliner bag (pMAP) at the end of a 4-months storage period. Punicic acid was the highest fatty acid in the seed oil with the average percentage of 68.09% and the concentration remained unaffected at the end of storage. There was a decline in the inhibitory activity (MIC, 1560.00 mg l⁻¹) of the extracts from the peel of shrink wrapped fruit against Klebsiella pneumonia at the end of storage (4 months). With regard to anti-tyrosinase activity, the seed oil extracted from shrink wrapped fruit had better activity against diphenolase (0.49 mg l⁻¹) at the end of storage (after 4 months). This information would be of interest for off-season processing of pomegranate by-products into value-added ingredients in the food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.