Adulteration Analysis of Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate juice adulteration is a common phenomenon in the market. The main reasons are associated with high product demand, high price, limited harvest season, and lack of production in some region. The most common adulteration methods are: (i) dilution with water, (ii) adding sugars or sweet juices, (iii) adding a part of lemon juice, (iv) adding fruit juices with intense red colour, and (v) adding liquids which have lower price like grape, peach or pear juice. To protect the consumer and to prevent unfair competition, authenticity and compliance with the product specification must be guaranteed. An adulterated pomegranate juice can be analysed with the determination of chemical composition. The methods commonly used for detection of adulterated pomegranate juice are the profiling and quantification of some compounds such as carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, amino acids, anthocyanins and pigments, and organic acids. The traditional chemical analysis techniques such as highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and attenuated total reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy have also been successfully performed for the detection of the authenticity of pomegranate juices. This review summarizes the adulteration methods and analysis of pomegranate juice.

Keywords: Amino acids, Adulteration, Authenticity, Chemical analysis techniques, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, High-performance liquid chromatography, International Multidimensional Authenticity Algorithm Specifications (IMAS), Organic acids, Phenolic compounds, Pomegranate juice, Stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA).