Pomegranate fruit comes from a deciduous shrub or small tree with waxy leaves. Each pomegranate is about the size and shape of a large apple and contains a labyrinth of juice-filled cells, classified as berries, beneath its leathery exterior. Tangy pomegranate juice provides a variety of nutritional and medicinal properties.
Food Preservative
Pomegranate juice might be a useful food preservative, according to a study published in the February 2011 issue of the journal "Meat Science." Chicken dipped in a 2 percent solution of phenolic compounds derived from pomegranate juice showed lower levels of oxidation for up to 12 days when refrigerated at 39 degrees F. Pomegranate juice polyphenols also inhibited bacterial growth on the chicken samples in the study. The researchers concluded that pomegranate juice extract is an acceptable preservative for refrigerated chicken.
Triglyceride Lowering
The journal "Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism" reported in its January 2011 issue on a study that found pomegranate juice to have triglyceridelowering properties. In the study on laboratory animals, pomegranate juice decreased triglycerides production by about 30 percent in a type of white blood cell associated with atherosclerosis. The compound punicalagin, the major polyphenol antioxidant in pomegranate juice, inhibited triglyceride biosynthesis by 40 percent when tested by itself. Additionally, pomegranate juice inhibited activity of an enzyme involved in the production of triglycerides by more than 50 percent.
Anti-Viral
Pomegranates might keep the flu at bay, according to a study published in the October 2010 issue of the journal "Antiviral Research." In the study, pomegranate polyphenols showed antiviral activity against three types of influenza virus isolated from humans, including H1N1. Three commercially available pomegranate products -- a juice, a concentrated liquid extract and a powder extract -- combined with the flu viruses for five minutes resulted in reductions in infectivity of the viruses.
Blood Clotting
Pomegranate juice might protect against cardiovascular disease by preventing blood clotting, according to a study published in the April 2009 issue of the "Journal of Medicinal Food." In the study, commercial pomegranate products and polyphenol extract were tested for their ability to inhibit platelets from clotting. Pomegranate juice and pomegranate extract both reduced all platelet responses. Pomegranate extract showed a stronger ability to reduce platelet activation and is effective at concentrations that are obtainable through the diet. The researchers concluded that the purported cardiovascular benefits of pomegranate juice might in part come from its ability to inhibit blood clotting.
References
- "Meat Science"; Effect of dipping in pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit juice phenolic solution on the shelf life of chicken meat under refrigerated storage (4°C); Vaithiyanathan S, et al.; 2011
- "Annals of Nutrition and Metbolism"; Pomegranate Juice Protects Macrophages from Triglyceride Accumulation: Inhibitory Effect on DGAT1 Activity and on Triglyceride Biosynthesis; Rosenblat M, et al.; 2011
- "Antiviral Research"; Influenza virus variation in susceptibility to inactivation by pomegranate polyphenols is determined by envelope glycoproteins; Sundararajan A, et al.; 2010
- "Journal of Medicinal Food"; Effects of pomegranate juice and extract polyphenols on platelet function; Mattiello T, et al.; 2009
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