Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Capacity of a Combination of Pomegranate and Date Juices

Abstract

The present study aims to assess the nutritional quality and the antioxidant capacity of (Punica granatum L. 'Gabsi') and date (Phoenix dactylifera L. 'Bouhattam') juices and their combination at three proportions (PPD 2:1, PD 1:1, and PDD 1:2). This investigation revealed the interesting potentialities in terms of bioactive molecules, natural antioxidants, and high organoleptic characteristics of various prepared juice formulations. For all juices, the sugar contents were averaged to 16°Brix. The highest monosaccharide content was obtained at the pomegranate/ date juice (PDD) (glucose: 9.52 ± 0.88 g/100 ml, fructose: 9.91 ± 0.44 g/100 ml). The comparative study of the five juice formulations based on phenolic contents showed that they are loaded with phenolic compounds. Indeed, the PD juice had the highest polyphenols content (10.77 mg GAE/ml of juice); however, the pomegranate juice had the highest flavonoids content (5.71 mg RE/ml of juice). The assessment of the antioxidant activity was conducted based on three methods: ferric reduction power, DPPH°, and ABTS + assays. Our results confirmed that all juices were loaded with natural antioxidants. Moreover, the sensorial test of the five juice formulations showed an acceptable quality by the tasting panel. To conclude, this study reveals that the formulation of a cocktail pomegranate/date juice seems to be an interesting initiative for the processing of noncommercial varieties.

Jujube (Zizyphus lotus L.): Benefits and its effects on functional and sensory properties of sponge cake

“…Sugars was extracted from 3 g of jujube powder using ethanol 80% solution (150 ml) for 90 min at 45˚C in a Soxhlet apparatus. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system Knauer instruments (Berlin, Germany) was used for sugar determination [11]. Chromatography separation was carried out on Eurospher NH 2 column at room temperature.…”

“…TPC were expressed as mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of dry weight (mg GAE/g DW) through a calibration curve using concentrations of GA ranging from 0 to 300 mg/ml. Total flavonoids content (TFC) was estimated by colorimetric method reported by Dewanto et al [11]. Absorbance was measured at 520 nm and results were presented as mg of catechin equivalent (CE) per gram of dry residue (mg CE/g), using a catechin calibration curve (concentration ranging from 0 to 400 μg/ ml).…”

“…The antiradical activity was expressed as IC 50 (μg/ml). Iron-reducing power, defined as the capacity of plant extracts to reduce Fe 3+ , was assessed by the method reported by Assadi et al [11]. The absorbance was measured at 700 nm.…”

Evolution of phytochemical and antioxidant activity of Tunisian carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) pods during maturation

“…Fructose, glucose and sucrose were measured by using an Agilent HPLC-RID System (HP. 1100) (21). The separation was performed on a ZORBAX column (Eclipse plus Column C18: 250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm).…”

In Vitro Germination of Different Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Pollen Sources from Southern Tunisia under the Effect of Three Storage Temperatures

“…Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a main income source and staple food for local populations in many countries (Chao and Krueger, 2007), since it's grown in hot and arid habitats, including desert oases, river valleys and well-irrigated plantations (Hazzouri et al, 2015). In Tunisia, Date palm cultivation creates opportunities for rural employment, is a major source of revenue for farmers and related industries (Othmani et al, 2019), and is widely consumed as fresh fruit (Assadi et al, 2018).…”