Chemical composition of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars grown in Croatia

Pomegranate is among the oldest cultivated sub-tropical fruit species in the coastal part of Croatia. It has been traditionally grown in central and southern Dalmatia, where leaves, flowers and roots have been used for medical purposes. More recently, its fruits have gained interest for their nutritional values. The edible part of pomegranate fruit contains considerable amounts of vitamins, polysaccharides, polyphenols and minerals. One of the most important quality characteristics of pomegranate fruit are the arils and juice, which are primarily associated with anthocyanin pigments. Fruit samples of seven domestic pomegranate cultivars (Barski slatki, Ciparski rani, Crveni rani, Dividis, Konjski zub, Sladun, and Serbetas) and wild pomegranate were collected from a productive pomegranate orchard in Metkovic (Croatia) (43°01'N 17°65 'E). The results on the main fruit quality traits (total soluble solids, total acidity, total sugar contents, total phenolic content, total antioxidant activity, and anthocyanins content) indicated significant statistical differences among cultivars.