Physicochemical characterization of oil, antioxidant potential, and phenolic profile of seeds isolated from Tunisian pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars

Abstract

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) seeds oils (PSO) from three Tunisian varieties namely Jebali, Testouri, and Gabsi were extracted by ultrasonic‐assisted extraction and analyzed for their physicochemical properties, fatty acids (FA) profile, and sterol composition. PSO of Gabsi and Testouri showed the best quality indexes in terms of peroxide and acid values and the highest oxidative stability index was observed for PSO of Gabsi ecotype (2.534 hr). Polyphenol content of PSO of Gabsi ecotype (886.909 mg/kg) was roughly 3 and 23 times higher than that of Jebali and Testouri ecotypes, respectively. Twelve FAs were identified by GC/FID. Punicic acid was the major compounds ranged from 81.53% (Testouri) to 86.41% (Gabsi). The unsaturated/saturated FA ratios of PSO were 14.53, 15.95, and 18.68, respectively for Gabsi, Testouri, and Jebali, respectively. Phytosterols were also identified and β‐sitosterol was the major compound in PSO. In addition, the phytochemical and antioxidant properties of phenolic extracts obtained from pomegranate seeds residues were investigated. Pomegranate seeds extract (PSE) of Gabsi cultivar showed the highest content of polyphenols (64.762 mg CAE/g) and flavonoids (7.127 mg RE/g). Antioxidant potential of extracts was performed using DPPH test and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Results revealed that Gabsi cultivar was the most reactive extract with EC50 of 0.105 mg/mL for DPPH test and 40.622 mg AA/g for TAC. Phenolic profiles of PSE were also investigated. Results showed the importance of cultivar selection in the potential use of bioactive compounds of seeds as nutraceutical ingredients in food and chemical industries. Practical Application Three Tunisian pomegranate cultivars namely Jebali, Testouri, and Gabsi were investigated for their seeds oil and phenolic composition. Pomegranate seeds oil (PSO) are rich in bioactive polyunsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols that can be of interest in several food and chemical industrial applications. Moreover, pomegranate seeds extracts are a natural source of antioxidant components, such as phenolic compounds, that can be used by the pharmaceutical industry as promising nutraceutical ingredients. The obtained results can be used to provide guidance on cultivar selection during industrial applications.

Phytochemical composition and antimicrobial, and anti-quorum sensing activities of Punica granatum L. methanolic extract

“…This difference in results may be due to changes in the genomic and in plants protein expression or even of the tested strain. These results are coherent with the study of Khemakhem et al ( 38 ). They confirmed that in pomegranate, the physicochemical characterization of three Tunisian varieties (Jebali, Testouri and Gabsi) showed enormous differences in component levels, especially the phenolic compounds.…”

Untitled

“…The MIC values for active pomegranate extracts ranged between 30 and >90 µg/mL. The results obtained appeared to confirm the antimicrobial potential of the P. granatum varieties 17 . The chemical composition of the fruits differs depending on the cultivar, growing region, maturity, cultivation practice, climate, and storage circumstances.…”

“…DISCUSSION: In this experiment, we observed good antifungal activities of fruit external peel alcoholic extract of P. granatum particularly against C. guilliermondii. Antibacterial activities of P. Granatum extract are well known against Staphylococcus aureus 12,13 , Streptococcus mutans, E. coli 13 , Pseudomonas aeruginosa 13 , Propionibacterium acnes 14 , pathogenic Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, Bacillus megaterium, Corynebacterium xerosis, Enterococcus faecalis, Micrococcus luteus [15][16][17][18] . Duraipandiyan et al experimented to determine the in-vitro antifungal efficacy of P. granatum peel extract against the oral Candida compared with clotrimazole.…”

Pollen performance of pomegranate under high-temperature stress

“…Punica granatum L. (pomegranate), a member of the Punicaceae family, is one of the oldest plants in the world which has commercial and cultural importance. Since it is a prominent crude ingredient for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, beverage, and food industries, the economic value of pomegranate fruits is very high (Khemakhem et al, 2021). Pomegranate fruits are frequently preferred in people's daily diets due to its vitamin, mineral, phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant content (Boussaa et al, 2020).…”