Pomegranate
nutrition facts
Pomegranate
is among the most popular, nutritionally rich fruit with unique flavor,
taste, and heath promoting characteristics. Along with berries, and
some tropical exotics such as mango, it
too has novel
qualities of functional foods often called as “super fruits.”
Botanically, it is a small size fruit-bearing
deciduous tree
belonging to
the Lythraceae
family, of genus: Punica.
The fruit is thought to originate in the
Sub-Himalayan range of North India.
Scientific name: Punica granatum.
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| Pomegranate fruit-Punica granatum.
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Cut
section of the fruit with thin whitish membrane envoloping
the sacs of arils.
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The tree
grows to about
five and eight meters tall. It is cultivated at commercial scale in
vast regions across Indian
sub-continent, Iran, Caucuses and Mediterranean regions for its fruits.
Completely grown-up tree bears numerous spherical, bright red,
purple, or
orange-yellow
colored fruits depending on the cultivar types. Each fruit measures
about
6-10 cm in diameter and weigh is about 200 gm. Its outer skin or rind
is tough and features leathery texture.
Interior
of the fruit is separated by white, spongy, membranous, bitter
tissue into compartments; packed in sacs filled with tiny edible
juicy,
red, pink pulp encasing single angular, soft or hard (in
over-mature fruits) seed.
Pomegranate is one of the most
extensively cultivated fruits for food, juice, flavor, and color,
making it a common ingredient in new functional foods often called
“super-fruits.”
Health benefits of
Pomegranate
-
The fruit is moderate in
calories; 100 g provides 85 calories, slightly more than that in the
apples. It contains no cholesterol or saturated fats.
-
It is rich source of
soluble and insoluble dietary fibers, providing about 4 g per 100 g
(about 12% of RDA), which aid in smooth digestive
and bowel movements. The fruit is suggested in the
diet for weight
reduction and cholesterol
controlling programs. Regular inclusion of fruits in the diet
helps protect from colon cancers.
-
Punicalagin
is
a polyphenolic anti-oxidant compound found abundantly in the
pomegranate juice. Studies suggest that punicalagin and tannins are
effective in reducing heart disease risk factors by scavenging harmful
free radicals from the body.
-
It is also good source
of antioxidant vitamin-C,
provides about 17% per 100 g of daily
requirement. Consumption of
fruits rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents by boosting immunity.
-
Regular consumption of
pomegranate has also been
found to be effective against prostate cancer, benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH), diabetes, and lymphoma.
-
It is also
good source of many vital B-complex group of vitamins such as
pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), folates, pyridoxine and vitamin K, and
minerals like
calcium, copper, potassium,
and manganese.
See the table below for in depth analysis
of nutrients:
Pomegranate
(Punica granatum),
Fresh,
ORAC value 2341 µmol TE/100 g. Nutrition value per 100 g.
(Source: USDA National
Nutrient data base)
| Principle |
Nutrient
Value |
Percentage
of
RDA |
| Energy |
83 Kcal |
4% |
| Carbohydrates |
18.70 g |
14% |
| Protein |
1.67 g |
3% |
| Total Fat |
1.17 g |
6% |
| Cholesterol |
0 mg |
0% |
| Dietary
Fiber |
4 g |
11% |
| Vitamins |
|
|
| Folates |
38 µg |
9.5% |
| Niacin |
0.293 mg |
2% |
| Pantothenic
acid |
0.135 mg |
3% |
| Pyridoxine |
0.075 mg |
6% |
| Riboflavin |
0.053 mg |
4% |
| Thiamin |
0.067 mg |
5.5% |
| Vitamin A |
0 IU |
0% |
| Vitamin C |
10.2 mg |
17% |
| Vitamin E |
0.60 mg |
4% |
| Vitamin K |
16.4
µg |
14% |
| Electrolytes |
|
|
| Sodium |
3 mg |
0% |
| Potassium |
236 mg |
5% |
| Minerals |
|
|
| Calcium |
10 mg |
1% |
| Copper |
18% |
0.158 mg |
| Iron |
0.30 mg |
4% |
| Magnesium |
12 mg |
3% |
| Manganese |
0.119 mg |
5% |
| Phosphorus |
36 mg |
5% |
| Selenium |
0.5 µg |
1% |
| Zinc |
0.35 mg |
3% |
| Phyto-nutrients |
|
|
| Carotene-ß |
0 µg |
-- |
| Crypto-xanthin-ß |
0 µg |
-- |
Selection
and storage
World’s best
pomegranates are
grown in the southern states of Afghanistan in Kandahar, Balkh,
Helmand, and Nimroz
provinces.
The
pomegranate fruit is judged ripe when it develops distinctive
color and sound metallic when tapped with the finger. Fruits
must be picked before over maturity oyherwise, the
seeds become hard, inedible, and the whole fruit tend to crack open.
In the store,
choose pomegranates that have smooth skin, free from any
bruises, cuts or mold. At home, store the fruits in cool dark place
at room temperature for 5-8 days or more. In general, they
have
long shelf
life. You can also place them in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Preparation
and serving method
Wash pomegranate fruit in cold water or rinse in tepid water to bring
to normal temperature if kept in the cold storage.
To experience
its rich flavor, eat fresh fruit as it is without adding
anything. Generally, the fruit is eaten out of hand by making
superficial
vertical incision on the tough skin and then breaking it apart.
Clusters
of juice sacs are then lifted out and the white membranes and rinds are
separated from the arils. Separating the red arils is simplified by
performing this task in a bowl of cold water, whereby seeds sink and
pulp
floats, then remove water and gently pat dry seeds.
Arils also make
an attractive garnish when sprinkled on salads and dishes.
Here are some serving tips:
-
Fresh fruits make fantastic
refreshing juice.
-
Pomegranate juice can be used in soups,
jellies, sorbets, sauces as well as to flavor
cakes, baked apples.
-
The juice can also be made into a wine.
-
It is used in the preparation of
traditional Persian recipes
such as fesenjan,
made from pomegranate juice and ground walnuts; rice
pilaf, and delicious ash-e-anar
soup.
- Pomegranate concentrate is a popular item used
in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes. The juice is
concentrated
to about 250% stronger, and when added in cooking, gives unique
flavor and intense sweet taste.
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