Influence of processing steps on phenolic composition of clarified and unclarified pomegranate juices as characterized by LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS

In this study, quality parameters of clarified (CPJ) and unclarified pomegranate juices (UPJ) of “Hicaz” variety (obtained from industrial-scale fruit juice production plant) were investigated regarding general compositions (sugar, organic acid, color parameters, etc.), phenolic content and also antioxidant capacity. The predominant anthocyanin was detected as cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside followed by cyanidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin pentoxide, pelargonidin-3,5-diglucoside. Cyanidin pentoxide was detected for the first time in this study in pomegranate juices in Turkey. During production, a decrease was observed in anthocyanins up to 39%. Fourteen colorless phenolic compounds were identified as primary ellagic acid, punicalagin-?, and punicalagin-ß. The most significant decrement in phenolic compounds was observed in clarification/filtration steps of CPJ and separation step of UPJ while an increase was detected after pressing. However, the reduction of phenolic content of CPJ was higher than UPJ during production. This decrease was probably related to the effect of clarification agents, filtration, and evaporation processes. Practical applications: Pomegranate juices have high nutritional value and health benefits with its rich content of phenolic compounds. Processing steps of unclarified and clarified pomegranate juices production could lead to differences in phenolic compounds and other bioactive properties. This study contributes valuable information for industrial production of pomegranate juices. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.This research was made possible through the financial support from the Adana Alparslan T?rke??Science and Technology University by means of the thesis project, LTP-17332002. The authors acknowledge Goknur Food Company, Kozan for providing pomegranate juices