IMPROVING THE TECHNOLOGY OF POLYPHENOL RECOVERY AND ANTIOXIDANT FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENT PRODUCTION IN THE COMPLEX PROCESSING OF POMEGRANATE (PUNICA GRANATUM L.): A REVIEW

Abstract

Pomegranate processing generates large peel and seed by-products rich in polyphenols (mainly punicalagin and ellagic acid) and punicic acid. This review summarises the composition of these by-products, compares technologies for polyphenol recovery from the peel (ultrasound-, microwave-, pressurised-liquid-, enzyme-, electrotechnology- and deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted extraction), and describes routes to antioxidant functional ingredients, including encapsulation. Green intensified methods shorten extraction time and raise yields compared with conventional solvent extraction. An integrated cascade of seed-oil recovery, peel extraction, purification, stabilisation and fibre use is proposed; pilot-scale validation and standardised comparison remain the key gaps.