Pomegranate is a fruit bearing deciduous shrub or small tree attaining a height of 5-8 meters. It is scientifically known as Punica granatum. Pomegranate is native to Iranian Plateau and the Himalayas in north Pakistan and Northern India. It has been widely cultivated in Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Egypt, China, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the drier parts of southeast Asia, the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe, and tropical Africa since times immemorial. It was introduced in Latin America and California by Spanish settlers in 1769 and is now cultivated in California and Arizona for juice production.
In the Northern Hemisphere the plant is known to produce fruits from September to February but the Southern Hemisphere fruiting occurs from March to May. More than 500 cultivated varieties are known. The leaves are opposite, glossy, narrow oblong measuring 3-7 cm in length and 2 cm in width. The flowers bear 4-5 bright red coloured petals measuring 3 mm in diameter. Some fruitless varieties are cultivated for the flowers alone. The fruit is a edible berry measuring 5-12 cm in diameter with rounded hexagonal shape and hard red coloured covering bearing about 600 seeds. Each seed is reddish purple in colour and bears water laden pulp known as aril. The seeds are enclosed in white, spongy and astringent pulp. They are drought tolerant and can be grown in areas with winter or summer rainfalls. In wet areas they are prone to get affected by fungal diseases. They can tolerate moderate frost.
The word pomegranate has been derived from a Latin word meaning seeded. The fruit is opened with the help of knife and the arils are detached from the outer skin as well as the inner white membrane. Freezing the entire fruit makes the separation of arils easier. The entire seed is edible and arils are very tasty in flavor. The taste of aril depends upon the subspecies and the ripeness of the fruit. The fruit juice may be sweet or sour in taste and rich in tannins. The fruit juice is very popular in Persian and Indian cuisines. Grenadine is a sweetened and thickened pomegranate juice most commonly used in cocktail mixing. Wild pomegranate seeds are used as a spice known as anardana in Indian and Pakistani cuisines. They are also a part of Ayurvedic system of medicine in India.
The fruit juice is a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin B5, potassium, flavinoids and tannins. They are also rich in dietary fiber and micronutrients. The most abundant polyphenols are ellagitannins. Punicalagins are also present that are good antioxidants. Other phytochemicals include polyphenolic catechins, gallocatechins, and anthocyanins, such as prodelphinidins, delphinidin, cyanidin, and pelargonidin. Studies have shown that they are effective in reducing the risk of heart attack, macrophage oxidative status and foam cell formation.
Navodita Maurice
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