The Impact of Processing and Storage on the (Poly)Phenolic Fraction of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Juices

Pomegranate (. Punica granatum L.) juice is a valuable source of (poly)phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins, with proven health-promoting features and boosted worldwide marketing. However, the industrial transformation of the fruit is not problem free, and has disadvantages such as color changes and the degradation of its phenolic composition. Hence, solving industrialization problems of pomegranate juice by preserving their phytochemical compounds throughout processing is a major challenge for the juice industry. The effect of processing operations (extraction by pressing, clarification, concentration, and thermal pasteurization), packaging, and storage conditions on the total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, (poly)phenolic profile, and color parameters of varietal pomegranate juices is reviewed. Emerging approaches for pomegranate juice processing, such as membrane filtration technology (microfiltration and ultrafiltration) and non-thermal pasteurization methods [UV-C, gamma irradiation, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), and pulsed electric fields (PEF)], are considered. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.