DOI: 10.46810/tdfd.1835276 ISSN: 2149-6366

Phenolic Authenticity of Commercially Marketed “Natural” Pomegranate Juices: A Comparative Analysis with Fresh Juice

Tuğba Gül Dikme
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This study critically evaluated whether commercially available pomegranate juices marketed as “natural” reflect the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of freshly prepared pomegranate juice. A fresh aril-based juice prepared under controlled laboratory conditions (control sample, D) was compared with seven commercially available products (N₁–N₇) obtained from the Şanlıurfa local market. Total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and individual phenolic compound profiles were determined to assess phenolic authenticity and processing-related differences.The TPC of the samples ranged from 674.69 ± 6.00 to 2531.49 ± 3.85 mg GAE/L, while DPPH radical-scavenging activity varied between 56.71 ± 1.19 and 236.05 ± 1.98 µmol TE/L. Commercial samples, particularly N₁ and N₇, exhibited significantly higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity than the fresh control sample (p < 0.05). HPLC analysis identified fourteen individual phenolic compounds, with vanillic acid, catechin, syringic acid, gallic acid, myricetin, and chlorogenic acid as the dominant constituents. Vanillic acid was the most abundant compound in all samples, reaching the highest concentration in sample N₆ (2324.74 ± 0.25 mg/L). Although commercial juices generally exhibited greater phenolic richness, structurally complex phenolic compounds such as silymarin were detected exclusively in the fresh aril-based juice. These findings indicate that phenolic richness and phenolic diversity do not necessarily coincide in products marketed as “natural” and highlight discrepancies between commercial label claims and actual phenolic composition.

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