Total phenolic contents, antioxidant activities, and bioactive ingredients of juices from pomegranate cultivars worldwide

- New pomegranate cultivars are appearing due to increasing consumer interest.
- The positive health effect of pomegranate is due to its unique antioxidant activity.
- Antioxidant activities and total phenolics of cultivars worldwide were reviewed.
- Important ingredients of pomegranate cultivars were also included.

Numerous recent scientific publications investigating the health benefits of pomegranate juice have greatly increased consumer interest in this fruit. The primary cause of the positive health effect of pomegranate is the unique antioxidant activity of this fruit. As a result of the increased attention given to pomegranate, the number of countries producing pomegranate has increased and new cultivars are appearing. The purpose of this review is to quantitatively establish the antioxidant activities, the total phenolic contents which are highly correlated to antioxidant activities, and the other important ingredients of pomegranate juices obtained from cultivars of different regions. Pomegranate wine, vinegar, and sour sauce obtained directly from pomegranate juice are included in this review. Comparison of aril juices with peel and seed extracts is also given. This data could be useful to the pomegranate industry in identifying and developing cultivars having commercial value.