Investigation of the physicochemical, nutritional properties and antioxidant activities of commercial and traditional pomegranate molasses samples

Pomegranate molasse is a pomegranate product which has become widespread in recent years and can be added to some foods with its unique taste and aroma. In this study, three commercial sold in the market and three pomegranate molasses made by traditional method taken from Burdur (Turkey) public market were investigated. The pH, water soluble dry matter results of the samples were found to comply with the standards. Viscosity values range from 191.35 to 13000 mPa. According to the color analysis, it was detected that the color of the traditional pomegranate molasses was darker than the commercial ones. The phenolic content of samples varies between 10.40-931.56 mg GAE/L. The highest quantity of antioxidant substance was found in the commercial C2 sample. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria count was carried out to evaluate the hygienic quality of pomegranate molasses samples. It was seen that the most bacteria number was at C1 commercial pomegranate molasse. It was concluded that it would be beneficial to elaborate pomegranate molasse standards and in traditional production, more healthy and reliable products can be obtained with the informations.