Morphological and physicochemical characteristics of three pomegranate cultivars (Punica granatum L.) grown in northern Algeria

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English. Introduction. In northern Algeria, various pomegranate cultivars (Punica granatum L.) are produced in the region of Mitidja. However, to date, no study has been published on the characteristics of the locally grown cultivars. The objective of the present study was to investigate the morphological and physicochemical characteristics of the fruit of three local pomegranate cultivars. Materials and methods. Our study focused on a comparison of the cultivars 'Doux de Kolea', 'Doux de Messaad' and 'Bordj Mira 11', obtained at harvest maturity from the Experimental Station of the ITAFV in the village of Boufarik in the south-west of Algiers, October 2013. A morphological characterization of the fruit, peel and arils was carried out. Some physicochemical characteristics of the juice, including the total soluble solids, pH, acidity, maturity index, total sugar and juice yield, were assessed. Results and discussion. Fruit weight ranged from 194 to 297 g and aril weight from 270 to 280 mg. Similarly, the peel thickness of the fruit ranged between 2.50 and 3.00 mm, while the pH recorded was 3.84-4.60. Total soluble solids ranged from 12.87 to 18.64 degrees Brix and titratable acidity ranged between 0.31 g 100 mL(-1) and 0.50 g 100mL(-1) in pomegranate juices. Vitamin C and total soluble sugar contents were in the range of 9.08-15.74 and 11.33-16.33 g 100 mL(-1), respectively. The comparison of our results with other studies reveals that Algerian pomegranate fruit has juice and peel physicochemical characteristics that could play a valuable role in people's diet and health. Conclusion. This work provides original data about the composition of pomegranate fruit from Algeria (vitamin C, protein, total sugar content, etc.). It demonstrates that indigenous cultivars can be a good source of different nutrients for the local population.