Aroma volatile components, fatty acids and antibacterial activity of four Tunisian Punica granatum L. flower cultivars

• Pomegranate flowers could generate promoting panoply of volatiles.
• Could pomegranate flowers be used as natural antibacterial supplement in cosmetics?
• Pomegranate flowers: a promoting source of healthy fatty acids (ω-3, ω-6, ω-7 and ω-9).
• Pomegranate flowers could be offering potential health benefits.

This study investigates the varietal effects on volatile components and fatty acids composition (analysed by GC–MS and GC, respectively) as well as the antibacterial propriety (using microdilution test) from four Tunisian pomegranate flower cultivars (Tounsi, Nabli, Gabsi and Chelfi). The Chelfi flowers seemed to be the richest in terpenoids (28.39%), aldehydes (13.24%) and alcohols (22.30%). Those volatiles seemed to be the most important groups with apparent difference between varieties. Fatty acid profiles varied significantly among cultivars. The most abundant saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid where Nabli cultivar exhibited the highest amount (435.80 μg/g). However, Gabsi cultivar had the highest content of unsaturated fatty acids where the linolenic acid and linoleic acid were the most frequent polyunsaturated fatty acids with 254.42 and 707.73 μg/g, respectively. Results presented here may suggest that the volatiles fraction of the studied cultivars possess antimicrobial activities. This work gives further knowledge for extensive development of this medicinal plant.