Pomegranate : Chemistry, Processing & Health Benefits

Pomegranates are increasingly distributed and consumed worldwide both as fresh fruit or processed products, like juices and food supplements. The present commercial success of this fruit and its purported health benefits are associated with an impressive increase of scientific research published on the pomegranate. The huge amount of new data produced every year by the scientific community necessitates a periodic review of the results. The aim of this book is to provide an update of the results in pomegranate research. Each chapter is conceived as an in-depth, state-of-the art compilation on the main topics regarding pomegranates. This is to ensure the status of a reference manual for all the scientists approaching different aspects of pomegranate research and to the industrial sector in order to improve/develop the pomegranate chain. The choice of an edited collection originates from the need to have different specializations and a multi-disciplinary approach to describe all the different topics related to pomegranates, spanning from botany, chemistry, and nutrition to technology and medical research. Topics discussed in this book include pomegranate biodiversity and phytochemical composition of pomegranate pulp, peels, seeds and oil; polyphenols antioxidant activity, bioavailability and metabolism by gut microbiota; current evidence supporting the benefits of pomegranate products in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer; allergies to pomegranate; pomegranate processing and recovery of waste from pomegranate juice production for their possible re-use as a source of nutraceuticals.