• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.1063-1072
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• 2011

This study analyzed the functional components and antioxidant activities of pomegranate juice and pomegranate husk, endocarp and seed extracts by comparing Korean and Iranian pomegranates. Korean pomegranate husk (KPH) had the highest total polyphenol content among the pomegranate extracts, and total phytoestrogen content was highest in Korean pomegranate endocarp (KPE). Iranian pomegranate endocarp (IPE) and Iranian pomegranate husk (IPH) showed the highest flavonoid levels. Overall, Korean pomegranate had more functional components than those in Iranian pomegranate. KPE had the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity and superoxide dismutase like-activity among all of the extracts, and KPH had the highest nitrite scavenging activity. IPE showed the highest superoxide anion scavenging activity. The ABTS$^+$ assay also indicated that IPH had the highest antioxidant activities. This study also showed that the more total polyphenols, flavonols, and phytoestrogens the pomegranate contained, the higher antioxidant activities. A positive correlation was observed between total polyphenol, flavonol and phytoestrogen levels and antioxidant activities. Korean pomegranates contained more functional components and had higher antioxidant activity than those of Iranian pomegranates. Additionally, pomegranate endocarp and seed extracts were better than pomegranate juice in terms of functional components and antioxidant activity. These results suggest that pomegranate husk, endocarp and seed extracts as well as pomegranate juice may have value as natural antioxidants with their high quality functional components and antioxidant activity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.1635-1641
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• 2011

This study was designed to investigate antioxidant activities of pomegranate endocarp extracts. Pomegranate endocarp extract contains the highest antioxidant function compared to pomegranate extracts from other parts. Pomegranate endocarp extract was fractionated with hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol extract, and water, followed by evaluation for antioxidant activity. During this experiment, various antioxidant tests such as nitrite scavenging activity, reducing power, superoxide anion scavenging activity, $ABTS^+$ scavenging activity, SOD like-activity, and DPPH radical scavenging activity were conducted on the $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, BuOH, $H_2O$ fractions of pomegranate endocarp extract. Results showed that the ethyl acetate fraction contained the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity among the samples. For SOD like-activity, the dichloromethane fraction had the highest antioxidant activity. For superoxide anion scavenging activity, the ethyl acetate fraction had the highest antioxidant activity. In the $ABTS^+$ scavenging activity test, the ethyl acetate fraction $IC_{50}$ was 39.26 ${\mu}g$/mL, whereas that of the butanol fraction was 40.95 ${\mu}g$/mL. In testing reduction power at 0.1 mg/mL, the O.D. of the ethyl acetate fraction was highest at 1.404 and showed higher activity than ascorbic acid at 1.332. The results of the nitrite scavenging activity test were very similar to those of the SOD like-activity test. These results suggest that pomegranate endocarp extract may have value as a natural antioxidant.