Relationships between Fruit Acceptability and Health-Case of Seven Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Juices

Chiraz El Kar, Narjes Mtimet, Ali Ferchichi, Jalloul Bouajila

Laboratoire d’Aridoculture et de Cultures Oasiennes, Institut des Régions Arides, Médenine, Tunisie.
Université de Toulouse, Laboratoire des Interactions Moléculaires et Réactivité Chimique et Photochimique UMR CNRS 5623, Université Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse, France..

DOI: 10.4236/fns.2013.48A015                

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate acceptability and instrumental measurements (titratable acidity, total soluble sugar, total phenolic, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and condensed tannin contents as well as antioxidant capacity) of seven Tunisian pomegranate cultivars to relate fruit acceptability and beneficial health. Seventy one participants were asked to complete a questionnaire and to indicate their level of acceptance, on a nine point-hedonic scale, for fruit size, sweetness, bitterness, juice color and juice overall acceptability. Taste and aril color were the main criteria to select Pomegranate. Significant differences occurred for all the acceptability tests. Titratable acidity determines the taste and important inter-specific variability in the phenolic contents as well as for the antioxidant capacities was noticed. Anthocyanin and condensed tannin were contributing to the organoleptic properties while bitterness acceptability was negatively correlated to the antioxidant capacity. Also, a relationship was found between the fruit size acceptability and the antioxidant capacity.

Keywords

Pomegranate Juice; Acceptability Tests; Instrumental Measurements; Phenolic Contents; Antioxidant Capacity

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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