Exploding demand for pomegranate juice provides economic motivation to adulterate juice products. Methods of adulteration are diverse thus analytical methods are needed that can detect and quantify many components simultaneously and provide a more complete description of pomegranate juice composition. A metabolomic approach will be described that employs 1H NMR, GC-MS, and UPLC-MS to profile juice components. A wide range of juice samples from many countries and pomegranate cultivars have been examined. Principal components analysis of 1H NMR spectra segregates pomegranate from other juice types based largely on differences in sugars and organic acids. GC-MS produces a more detailed characterization of low molecular weight components including the organic and amino acids, and UPLC-MS allows quantification of larger and more hydrophilic molecules including the characteristic anthocyanins. Combining the results of all three techniques produces a metabolite fingerprint of pomegranate juice for improved discrimination of authentic and counterfeit juice products.

Taking a metabolic approach to pomegranate juice authenticity

241st National Meeting (2011)

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