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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. Full article

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a common edible fruit. Its juice can be used as a source of antioxidative compounds, primarily polyphenols and vitamin C, in addition to other vitamins and minerals. Nevertheless, little is still known about how the enzymatic machinery, mainly that related to oxidative metabolism, is influenced by the genotype and the environmental and climate conditions where pomegranate plants grow. In this work, seeds and juices from two pomegranate varieties (Valenciana and Mollar) grown in two different Spanish locations were assayed. Both varieties showed clear differences in their respective polypeptide profiles. The analysis of the isoenzymatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity pattern displayed one Mn-SOD and five CuZn-SODs (I–V) whose abundances depended on the variety. Furthermore, by immunoblot assays, at least one additional Fe-SOD with a subunit size of about 23 kDa was also detected in both varieties. Besides this, the presence of the H₂O₂-scavenging peroxisomal catalase in seeds and juice indicates that an active metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS) takes place in this fruit, but the two pomegranate varieties showed opposite activity profiles. The activities of the main NADPH-regenerating enzymes, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphlogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH), and NADP-dependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME), were studied in the same plant materials, and they behaved differently depending on the genotype. Finally, our data demonstrate the presence of two specific enzymes of the peroxisomal glyoxylate cycle, malate synthase (MS) and isocitrate lyase (ICL). These enzymes participate in oilseeds by channeling the lipid catabolism to the carbohydrate synthesis for further use in seed germination and early seedling growth. The results obtained in this work indicate that a similar mechanism to that reported in oilseeds may also operate in pomegranate. Full article