Antimicrobial activity of pomegranate peel extracts as affected by cultivar

作者：Rosas Burgos Ema C; Burgos Hernandez Armando; Noguera Artiaga Luis; Kacaniova Miroslava; Hernandez Garcia Francisca; Cardenas Lopez Jose L; Carbonell Barrachina Angel A

来源：Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2017, 97(3): 802-810.

DOI：10.1002/jsfa.7799

• antibacterial activity
• antifungal activity
• minimum inhibitory concentration
• sour-sweet pomegranate cultivars
• radial growth inhibition

BACKGROUND: Some studies have reported that different parts of the pomegranate fruit, especially the peel, may act as potential antimicrobial agents and thus might be proposed as a safe natural alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents. The high tannin content, especially punicalagin, found in pomegranate extracts, has been reported as the main compound responsible for such antimicrobial activity. Because the pomegranate peel chemical composition may vary with the type of cultivar (sweet, sour-sweet and sour), pomegranatesmay also differ with respect to their antimicrobial capacity.
RESULTS: The extract from PTO8 pomegranate cultivar peel had the highest antimicrobial activity, as well as the highest punicalagins (alpha and beta) and ellagic acid concentrations. In the results obtained from both antibacterial and antifungal activity studies, the sour-sweet pomegranate cultivar PTO8 showed the best antimicrobial activity, and the highest ellagic acid concentrations.
CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that ellagic acid content has a significant influence on the antimicrobial activity of the pomegranate extracts investigated. The pomegranate peel of the PTO8 cultivar is a good source of antifungal and antibacterial compounds, and may represent an alternative to antimicrobial agents of synthetic origin.

• 出版日期2017-2