Pomegranate Quality from Consumers' Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties.

Acquiring information on consumer preferences for the sensory properties of pomegranates is a cue for breeding programmes to set their quality targets and promote the consumption of this particularly healthy fruit. In this study, a total of 12 pomegranate varieties were evaluated, including commercial (Valenciana, Illina, Tastem, Rugalate, Wonderful, Mollar 49 y Mollar 45) and new varieties (Ref 102, Ref 383, H3/27, and D27/12). For the first time, consumers not only scored their acceptance of different pomegranate varieties but also described their sensory properties using CATA questions. This approach allowed us to identify the main drivers of liking, preference patterns, and the relationship between sensory and physico-chemical properties. Of all the sensory attributes, acidity intensity was revealed as the main driver of liking/disliking, and two different consumer preference patterns were identified: 'low acid pomegranate lovers' and 'acid pomegranate lovers'. Seed properties like the intensity of woody flavour and seed/aril ratio were also key drivers for preferences. A relationship between sensory and physico-chemical properties was also established. Interestingly, sweetness perception correlated more strongly with low titratable acidity levels than with high total soluble solids levels, corroborating that acidity level is a key measurement for quality assessments. 'H3/27' was the most promising of the new varieties for having the well-appreciated internal properties of the 'Mollar' varieties and external and internal red colouration, which makes it much more appealing to consumers. This study shows that there is still room on the market for pomegranate varieties with very different sensory properties and highlights the need to develop sensory labels that help consumers make the right choices.

Influence of Pomegranate Appearance Attributes on Consumer Choice, and Identification of Barriers and Drivers for Consumption.

In a prepurchase situation, consumers base their choice decision on external fruit characteristics, from which they infer internal characteristics. This study investigates consumer preference for pomegranate appearance using a choice-based conjoint analysis with 320 participants. We created 27 images of pomegranates that differed in varietal characteristics: colour (yellow, bicoloured, and red), shape (round, oval, and flattened), and calyx shape (open, semi-open, and closed). Colour was by far the most important factor for consumers, followed by fruit shape and calyx shape. Two preference profiles were identified. Most consumers liked bicolour and red pomegranates equally, and rejected yellow ones, while a smaller group concentrated their choice on bicolour pomegranates. In terms of fruit and calyx shape, oval and flattened fruit and open calyx were the most preferred by both consumer groups. Barriers and drivers for consumption were also investigated. There is still plenty of room to increase pomegranate consumption. Greater availability of pomegranates and ready-to-eat arils in grocery shops, obtaining new unseeded/easier-to-peel varieties, and providing a sensory label would help to overcome current barriers. Marketing campaigns should focus on a pomegranate's health benefits and its versatility in consumption.

Characterization of the Spanish Pomegranate Germplasm Collection Maintained at the Agricultural Experiment Station of Elche to Identify Promising Breeding Materials.

Pomegranates were one of the first domesticated fruit crops, and their long history resulted in the development of local cultivars all over the world. Spain is one of the main producers and exporters of this crop in the Mediterranean Basin, but in order to maintain the competitiveness of this crop, new varieties should be developed. For this purpose, the pomegranate germplasm collection hold at the Agricultural Experiment Station of Elche, a public institution dependent on the Valencian regional government, is an interesting tool. However, the detailed characterization of any germplasm collection is a fundamental requirement to be able to make the most of these resources, allowing to identify putative promising accessions and to optimize the design of the future crosses. In this work, the genetic diversity of 94 accessions of this collection was analyzed using 19 microsatellite markers. As a result, 85 different genotypes were identified. These genetic profiles could be useful for varietal identification. Despite this genetic diversity, no clear substructure was observed, except for the ornamental accessions, that could be related to the vegetative propagation of the species. Additionally, the morphological characterization of this collection has made it possible to identify some materials that may be of interest as a source of traits for breeding. Results presented here pave the way for further genetic analyses, allowing the selection of parents to obtain segregating populations, as well as their descendants by the use of molecular assisted selection.

Phytochemical characterisation for industrial use of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars grown in Spain.

BACKGROUND: The study of 15 pomegranate cultivars was carried out in order to demonstrate the wide diversity among the quality of Spanish pomegranates, and compared to 'Wonderful' cultivars, which are used worldwide for industrial purposes. Juice yield, quality parameters, organic acids and sugars, colour, vitamin C, ellagic acid, punicalagins, anthocyanins, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and sensory properties were measured. RESULTS: A considerable variation was found between 'Wonderful' and pomegranates of Spanish origin, according to both cluster analysis and principal component analysis. 'Wonderful' juices displayed large antioxidant activity and a polyphenol content with very high acidity. In contrast, 'Mollar de Elche' showed fewer anthocyanins although it had very superior organoleptical properties. In addition to a high content in ellagitannins, 'Valenciana' juices had exclusive colour parameters. CONCLUSION: These useful results can be employed by the juice processing industry to select those properties more interesting for the development of pomegranate juices that are organoleptically attractive and rich in bioactive compounds.