Evolution of anthocyanins in pomegranate juice (Punica granatum L.) of two cultivars Mollar and Assaria during cold storage

Pomegranate fruits of two cultivars (cv. "Mollar" and cv. "Assaria") were harvested in an orchard of Algarve and stored at 5°C, in the dark for several months. The evolution of anthocyanins was followed and compared in pomegranate juice during this storage period. In both cultivars, the 3,5-diglucosides and the 3-glucosides of cyanidin, delphinidin and pelargonidin were detected, nevertheless in different amounts. Generally, pomegranate juice of cv. "Assaria" had higher concentrations of anthocyanins than the one of cv. "Mollar". The decrease of anthocyanin monoglucosides in cv. "Mollar" juice during the storage period was significant, reaching a minimal value at the end, that is, after three months of storage. This was not so evident in cv. "Assaria", in which the mono- and diglucosides of anthocyanins content was not significantly different. Delphinidin-3-glucoside was the most important anthocyanin in cv. "Assaria" being the sole anthocyanin, which amounts significantly differed in the juice of both cultivars (p<0.05).