Quantification of punicalagins in commercial preparations and pomegranate cultivars, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) - a delicious fruit once used in Ayurvedic medicine - is now largely known for the antioxidant properties of its juice, which has also been considered to have health benefits against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. These beneficial effects are associated with the fruit's high content of polyphenolic compounds. High demand and lower production levels drive pomegranate prices up, which leads to the possibility of pomegranate products being adulterated, diluted or substituted. To ensure the presence of pomegranate in various preparations labeled as containing pomegranate, a simple method was developed to screen and quantify the specific punicalagins by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The present method was used to analyze several pure and mixed beverages from the US market, and also to quantify punicalagins in the juice of 14 pomegranate cultivars. Punicalagins were detected in all cultivars, with higher concentrations in whole fruit juices compared with aril juices. Amongst the 20 commercial beverages, punicalagins were not detected in four preparations. CONCLUSION: The liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric method presented herein enables an easy and rapid quantification of the specific punicalagins. The latter was detected in all cultivar samples, thus supporting that punicalagin is a suitable marker of these 14 pomegranate cultivars in commercial juices. Absence of the specific marker in four commercial preparations shows the necessity of having simple and rapid methods to evaluate the presence of pomegranate in preparations. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Site and Cultivar on Consumer Acceptance of Pomegranate.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an important fruit in many cultures. The fruit and juice have risen in popularity as it was discovered that pomegranate has relatively high antioxidant activity compared to most other fruits. In this study, six cultivars were utilized to determine consumer acceptance compared to the industry standard, 'Wonderful,' which comprises 90% to 95% of commercial production in the United States. Fruit were sourced from 2 cultivar field trials, one in inland Riverside, California, and one in coastal Ventura County, California. Cultivars selected for the study included 'Eversweet,' 'Green Globe,' 'Haku Botan,' 'Loffani,' 'Phoenicia,' 'Wonderful,' and 'cv. 857,' an heirloom cultivar from Ventura County, CA, U.S.A. Pomegranate arils were subject to sensory evaluation by 87 untrained consumer panelists in late 2016. Panelists were given pomegranate arils and asked to score the samples using a 9-point Hedonic scale for the following fruit quality traits: aril color, sweetness, tartness, seed hardness, bitterness, and overall desirability. There were significant differences among cultivars for all traits assessed by the sensory panelists. There were differences in acceptance among consumers for 'Wonderful' depending on if it was grown on the coast versus inland, and consumers preferred inland- versus coastal-grown 'Wonderful.' 'Wonderful' pomegranate was associated with cultivars that consumers scored low on desirability for bitterness. Cultivars that scored well in overall desirability compared with 'Wonderful' were 'cv. 857,' 'Eversweet,' 'Green Globe,' and 'Phoenicia.' PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Consumer sensory panels are important to determine scientifically which cultivars are desired by the public. These panels allowed for the determination of which pomegranate cultivars are liked or disliked by consumers and why. If the pomegranate growers know the most desirable cultivars for consumers, they are more likely to adopt and plant them, thus potentially increasing the diversity in the marketplace, as has been with apples, peaches, plums, pears, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and citrus.

Sorption and degradation of pesticides in nursery recycling ponds.

Knowledge of pesticide distribution and persistence in nursery recycling pond water and sediment is critical for preventing phytotoxicity of pesticides during water reuse and to assess their impacts to the environment. In this study, sorption and degradation of four commonly used pesticides (diazinon, chlorpyrifos, chlorothalonil, and pendimethalin) in sediments from two nursery recycling ponds was investigated. Results showed that diazinon and chlorothalonil were moderately sorbed [K(OC) (soil organic carbon distribution coefficient) from 732 to 2.45 x 10(3) mL g(-1)] to the sediments, and their sorption was mainly attributable to organic matter content, whereas chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin were strongly sorbed (K(OC) > or = 7.43 x 10(3) mL g(-1)) to the sediments, and their sorption was related to both organic matter content and sediment texture. The persistence of diazinon and chlorpyrifos was moderate under aerobic conditions (half-lives = 8 to 32 d), and increased under anaerobic conditions (half-lives = 12 to 53 d). In contrast, chlorothalonil and pendimethalin were quickly degraded under aerobic conditions with half-lives < 2.8 d, and their degradation was further enhanced under anaerobic conditions (half-lives < 1.9 d). The strong sorption of chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin by the sediments suggests that the practice of recycling nursery runoff would effectively retain these compounds in the recycling pond, minimizing their offsite movement. The prolonged persistence of diazinon and chlorpyrifos, however, implies that incidental spills, such as overflows caused by storm events, may contribute significant loads of such pesticides into downstream surface water bodies.