Physical and Chemical Attributes of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Fruit Grown in Georgia

Pomegranate is a non-climacteric fruit consumed fresh as whole fruit or arils or used for production of juice, wine, and syrup. Pomegranate is popular due to its health benefits. In the U.S. it is grown primarily in California and other semiarid regions. ‘Wonderful’ is a widely grown cultivar in California. Preliminary research has shown, however, that ‘Wonderful’ produces low yields in Georgia, indicating the need to identify cultivars better suited to warm and humid conditions, such as those of the southeastern U.S. The objectives were to determine the physical and chemical quality of pomegranate cultivars grown in Georgia. Pomegranate fruit harvested in Sept.-Oct. 2013 from a grower’s orchard (Alma, GA, 5 cvs.), and Ponder Farm, Univ. of Georgia (TyTy, GA; 20 cvs.), and UGA Tifton Campus (Tifton, GA; 22 cvs.). Individual fruit weight ranged from 335 g (‘Pink’) to 119 g (‘Utah Sweet’); aril weight from 0.63 g (‘Cloud’) to 0.17 g (‘Utah Sweet’); aril weight relative to fruit weight from 65.9% (‘Medovyi Vahsha’) to 44.8% (‘DSN’); total soluble solids from 14.0% (‘Azadi’) to 10.9% (R-16’); titratable acidity from 7.8% (’Sakerdze’) to 0.48% (‘King’); arils a* value from 21.1 (‘Crab’) to 0.3 (‘Cloud’); arils b* value 14.2 (‘Cloud’ and ‘Sirenevy’) to 10.9 (‘Sirenevy’); and fruit juice volume from 0.51 mL/g (‘Pink’) to 0.15 mL/g (‘Wonderful-Tifton’). Across cultivars, individual fruit weight increased linearly with increasing number of arils. Aril number was more important in determining fruit weight compared to aril size.