Evolution of juice anthocyanins during ripening of new selected pomegranate (Punica granatum) clones

F.A. Tomás-Barberán 7 F. Artés Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, CEBAS (CSIC), P.O. Box 4195, E-30080 Murcia, Spain Abstract For five new clones of pomegranate, cultivated under homogeneous conditions, changes in juice anthocyanin contents during ripening were studied. Six anthocyanin pigments were found to be responsible for the red color of pomegranate juice. These were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified as delphinidin 3glucoside and 3,5-diglucoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside and 3,5-diglucoside and pelargonidin 3-glucoside and 3,5-diglucoside. Generally, there was an increase in juice pigmentation during fruit ripening. In the early fruit-ripening stages, delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside was the main pigment, followed by cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside, while in the later stages, the monoglucoside derivatives cyanidin 3-glucoside and delphinidin 3-glucoside increased considerably. The pelargonidin derivatives were always present in small amounts.