Volatile Composition of Pomegranates from 9 Spanish Cultivars Using Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction

Abstract

Fruits of 9 Spanish pomegranate cultivars were analyzed for quality parameters, volatile composition, and sensory profile. Volatile compounds were extracted using headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Twenty-one compounds were found in the headspace of fresh pomegranate juices, including aldehydes, monoterpenes, and alcohols. The most abundant compounds were hexanal, limonene, trans-2-hexenal, and cis-3-hexenol. Fruits from the cultivars Mollar Elche(ME) ME14, ME1, and ME2 presented the highest values of overall liking by the consumer panel; however, their total volatiles concentration were low compared to the other pomegranate cultivars and their color intensity was intermediate. Overall consumer liking of pomegranate juices was mainly associated with the presence of monoterpenes (α-terpineol); however, high aldehydes (trans-2-hexenal) concentrations were correlated with poor overall consumer liking. Fruits from sour-sweet cultivars (PTO7 and ADO4) could improve the quality of ME pomegranate juices due to their intense color, high monoterpenes concentrations, and their moderate sourness. Practical Application: The information provided in this study proves that sour-sweet pomegranate fruits can be used in the manufacturing of pomegranate juices and will improve the sensory quality and the volatile composition of this product.

Physicochemical composition and antioxidant activity of several pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars grown in Spain

“…In this order, Katirbasi would be the most astringent and Mollar de Elche the less. This in line with Melgarejo et al [44] who reported that Mollar de Elche family is characterized by its sweetness, low sourness, and soft and easy to eat pith.…”

“…The other cultivars had intermediate maturity indexes. In generally, our result for Mollar de Elche (49.18) was lower than Melgarejo et al [44,54] [62].…”

“…The TA value of our Mollar de Elche (0.32%) cultivar was slightly higher than those reported for other Mollar de Elche clones. For example, Melgarejo et al [44,54] obtained values between 0.20% (ME11) and 0.25% (ME14), and 0.24% (ME1) and 0.25% (ME2 and ME14), respectively, as well as Martínez et al [36] of 0.26% (ME15) to 0.27% (ME14) and Legua et al [35] of 0.23% (ME17) to 0.26% (ME5). Concerning the maturity index (TSS/TA) and according to the classification suggested by Melgarejo et al [44] for Spanish cultivars, our Mollar de Elche, Valenciana and Cis 127 were sweet, whereas Parfianka, Wonderful 1 and Wonderful 2 were sour.…”

“…When comparing this range with other authors, who also studied cultivars grown in Spain, including Mollar de Elche (ME), Valenciana (V), and Wonderful (W) beyond others, our range was quite similar. Melgarejo et al [44] [29,30,35,36,44,57], making pressure on the arils against a nylon mesh [3,56] or through layers of cheesecloth [52].The organic acids present in the arils of pomegranate include, mainly, citric, malic, oxalic, acetic, fumaric, and tartaric acids [10]. According to Mars et al [58] cited by Pavez [54], pomegranate cultivars can be classified by juice acidity (expressed as citric acid percentage) in sweet, sour-sweet and sour.…”

“…The maturity index (MI) was determined by the ratio TSS/TA, as suggested by Martínez et al [36]. Melgarejo et al [44] proposed that Spanish pomegranate cultivars could be classified according to their MI values as follow: sweet: MI = 31-98; sour-sweet: MI = 17-24; and sour: MI = 5-8.…”