Antioxidant activities of Punica granatum as determined by FRAP assay method

The fruits are rich sources of various vitamins, minerals and fibers required by human body for optimal health. In the recent years, more attention has been paid to the antioxidants contained in fruits. Epidemiological studies revealed that high fruit intake was associated with reduced mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer and one of possible mechanisms was attributed to the antioxidant activity presented by the fruits. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is native to the Mediterranean region and has been used extensively in the folk medicine of many countries. The presence of antioxidants has been reported from pomegranate in juice, peel, pulp and seed fractions [1–3], however, no literature was found reporting the antioxidant activity in the pomegranate of Iran. In the present study, the ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay (FRAP assay) was employed and the FRAP value of peel and pulp fractions 10 cultivar of pomegranate produced in Saveh was determined in an attempt to make a systematic comparison among their antioxidant activities and identify the fractions with high antioxidant power for further studies. On the other hand the stability of antioxidant power was determined for three weeks. The results showed that sweet white peel and black peel cultivars was high in antioxidant power in peel and pulp fractions respectively and both peel and pulp fractions are quite stable in antioxidant activity for three week in refrigerator.

References: 1. Navindra, P. et al. (2005), J. Nut. Biochem. 16: 360–367. 2. Negi, P. S. et al. (2003), Food Chemistry 80: 393–397. 3. Yunfeng, L. et al. (2006), Food Chemistry 96: 254–260.