Friday, March 2, 2012

PINEAPPLE OF MALAYSIA










POPULAR PINEAPPLE IN MALAYSIA
Encapsulates the taste of the tropical sunshine, and can be enjoyed all year round.
The new and improved ‘boutique’ varieties are sweeter and more luscious than ever.
THE pineapple belongs to the 200-species-large Bromeliaceae family. So named for its pine cone shape and apple-like fibrous texture, the tropical fruit – native to Southern Brazil and Paraguay – can now be widely found in the Philippines, Thailand, Hawaii, South Africa,
Australia and Malaysia. Formerly a fruit prized by the European crowns for its rarity, pineapples have gained commercial popularity in the last 100 years for its culinary uses and its wealth of health benefits. Pineapples are an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that aids digestion and reduces inflammation and swelling, as well as being rich in vitamin C. A versatile fruit, the pineapple is marvellous whether juiced, sliced, skewered and grilled or turned into jams. Pineapples are often eaten raw after meals with a pinch of salt to alleviate their sometimes sharp taste; with the sweeter new varieties, there is no need for this. Once
a cheap fruit sold by the truckload in just one variety, the new boutique varieties of better tasting fruits have elevated the pineapple to a succulent fruit to be lusted after, enjoyed for its varieties on a par with mangoes and durians.

MD2
New in the market, this pineapple variety is also known as MD2. Originating from the Philippines, the fruit is now planted in Johor. The cylindrical and square-shouldered fruit has large, flat “eyes” that turn orange-yellow when ripe. The flesh is a rich golden colour with an exquisite floral aroma. The flesh is less fibrous, and very juicy and sweet. It has a luscious taste akin to mango. A seasonal fruit, this is available around March and April. 

Moris
This is the common, all-purpose variety found everywhere, all year round. It is also known as Mauritius or Queen, and has an elongated shape with small, prominent eyes that require a thick cut to be removed. When bitten into, it has a crisp crunch, delicate flavour and sometimes sharp taste. The highly fibrous fruit is usually used for making jam, cooked in curries or tossed in a rojak. Newer and sweeter varieties have made this unpopular as an eating pineapple.

Josapine 
This hybrid pineapple was developed by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute and introduced in August 1996. The name is derived from its parents, the “Johor” (Red Spanish) and “Sarawak” (Smooth Cayenne) Pineapple varieties. It has a small, roundish, cylindrical shape and turns an appealing bright orange-red upon ripening. The flesh is deep golden yellow, sweet and just slightly fibrous, with a strong, sweet, floral aroma emanating from the fruit. In recent years, it has gained popularity locally and can be found at most supermarkets and markets throughout the year. Josapines are sometimes mixed with the more acidic Moris to produce a sweeter tasting jam.

Sarawak
This cylindrical-shaped pineapple with large, shallow eyes is also known as the Smooth Cayenne. The flesh is pale yellow and juicy, and when fully ripe, it has a sweet and tangy taste. Once a premium variety sought for its sweetness and smoothness, it has now been supplanted by cheaper and better tasting hybrids such as the Josapine. It is available throughout the year, but in smaller quantities.

Yan Kee
The Yan Kee stands out for its rather odd shape. The long and tapering pineapple is planted in Klang and Sungai Pelek, and is also known as the Selangor Sweet. The flesh is pale and translucent when fully ripe. The eyes are not deeply embedded; only shallow cuts are required to remove them. The Yan Kee is the most juicy and least fibrous of the pineapples, and is
very sweet. Its elegant, sweetish fragrance is reminiscent of melon. The season for Yan Kee is May-June and Oct-Nov.

CULTIVAR PINEAPPLE IN MALAYSIA

MASPINE PINEAPPLE
Cultivar : Spanish / Scientific Name : Ananas Comosus / Family : Bromeliaceae.

1. Characteristic :
- Cylindrical with square side
- Thin peel having high recovery rate
- Medium-sized and weight about 1.8kg
- Golden yellow for the pulp colour
- High sugar content namely over 16% (TSS)
- Low acid composition (0.58%)

2. Tree Character:
- Fertile and medium-height plant
- Leaf no prickly ('piping-Leaf)
- Generally not having basal slips, wind sucker and below sucker
- Medium crown size (as breeding key)

3. Usage:
- Fresh food



4. Pulp:
- Golden yellow colour (concentrated)
- Crisp and dry texture and also sweet
- Ice content balanced
- Sugar content (16 17° Brix)
- Having good storage level, fruit protruding eye change not too obvious although too ripe
- No sign of Black core when kept in temperature 10 ° for 2 weeks and disclosed in room temperature for 5 day.

SARAWAK PINEAPPLE
Cultivar : Smooth Cayenne / Scientific Name : Ananas Comosus / Family : Bromeliaceae.

1. Characteristic :
- Large (2-4 kg)
- Egg shaped fruit held on short and strong penducle
- The fruitless and eyes are broad and flat

2. Plant character:
- Smooth leaves with occasional spines at the tips
- Resistance on phantom fruit worm and heart rot bacteria
- Susceptible on core rot interference due to low temperatures
- Breeding by cutting either crown or temperature, limited produce by stalk
- Long produce cycle compare to other cultivar (1 year)

5. Usage:
- Fresh Food


4. Pulp:
- Pale Yellow, juicy and large suckers
- Acid Content (0.5-0.9%)
- Sugar Content (12 °-16 ° Brix)

MORIS PINEAPPLE
Cultivar : Queen / Scientific Name : Ananas Comosus / Family : Bromeliaceae.

1. Characteristic :
- Small and Medium size (0.8-1.5 kg)
- Also known as Mauritius Pineapple
- Tapering fruit
- Thick peel
- Small protruding eyes
- Small pith

2. Plant character:
- Small with short and very spiny, dark purplish
green leaves
- Induce to produce wind sucker and mostly producing
two suckers or more,
enough for replanting
- High resilience on environment, pest and disease firmness
- Susceptible on rot hard

3. Usage:
- Fresh Food


4. Pulp:
- Golden yellow pulp is dry, crispy and sweet
- Acid Content {OA - 0.6 %}
- Sugar Content {ISO -170 brix}



HYBRID PINEAPPLE
Cultivar : Spanish / Scientific Name : Ananas Comosus / Family : Bromeliaceae.


1. Characteristic :
- Medium size - (1.5-2.0 kg) with large crowns
- Cylindrical shape
- From selected hybrid cross with Gandul (Spanish) and Smooth Cayenne


2. Pulp:
- Pale yellow colour, Fibrous pulp
- Texture – crispy
- Acid Content (0.6-0.8%)
- Sugar Content ( 12°-14° Brix
- Its fruit is resilient on phantom fruit worm


3. Usage:
- Canned and Fresh Food


JOSAPINE PINEAPPLE
Cultivar : Spanish / Scientific Name : Ananas Comosus / Family : Bromeliaceae.


1. Characteristic :
- Cylinder shaped. Medium Sized (1.2kg-1.5kg)
- Large bulging eyes
- Young fruit is dark purple in colour and changes to maroon colour when cooked


2. Plant Character:
- Fertile and produces 2-3 tendril
- Leaves are slightly purplish green coloured, no spikes on the side of the leaves
- The crown is medium sized, sometimes more than that


3. Pulp:
- Golden yellow (dark)
- Crunchy and dry texture and sweet
- Balanced ice content
- Sugar content ( 16-17° Brix)
- Has a good storage level, changes to the fruit are not obvious even though in a an over ripe stage
- No sign of black core when kept at a temperature of 10 ° for 2 weeks and exposed to room temperature for 5 days


4. Usage:
- Fresh Food 



ABOUT PINEAPPLE
Pineapple fruit have high content of Vitamin C which is needed for health due to healing wound or injury by absorption of iron minerals into blood vessel. Vitamin B's content in pineapple fruit especially B1 (thiamin) functions to help digestion process and smoothen digestion process in intestines, while Vitamin B3 (niacin) with carbohydrate content can control digestive system to make healthy. Potassium content with sodium in pineapple fruit can control deep water balance in human body. Pineapple fruit also contains useful enzyme in medical sector namely Bromelin enzyme where it is used widely during surgery to control swollen, infection and prevent
blood clot. Pineapple (An an as comosus) a type of tropical plant believed to originate from East Area of South America. Introduced in Malaya in the 16th century by the Portuguese. With rubber crop development, in year 1921 pineapple began to be planted in Singapore, Johor
and Selangor as cash crop. Pineapple plantation continued to expand in peat soil area especially in Johor. Malaysia is one of the world major producer other than Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Brazil, Taiwan, Australia, India and South Africa. Canned pineapple fruit have high market demand in countries like Japan, United States, Europe Economics Union Countries, West Asia and Singapore.



PINEAPPLE OF PRODUCTS


CANNED PINEAPPLE was the result from pineapples which has been processed and being
preserved by using sugar or sweetening substance. Canned pineapple is a process which started with soaking pineapple fruit in syrup and sugar content are added in certain period until perfectly saturated. High sugar viscosity which been absorbed into fruit tissue will prevent it from being damaged. After syrup application process, pineapple fruit in syrup which exceeded
60°Brix will be remove and sluiced with warm water before being dried. After done with drying process, candied scattered with sugar thin layer icing.


Pineapple Candy Formula
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (grams)
Pineapple fillings 1.0 kg
Sugar 750 gm } Syrup 35° Bx / 800 gm } Additional sugar
Natrium Metabisulfate(55 ppm) 1.233 gm
Citric Acid 4.93 gm } Concentrated Syrup Follow 40° Bx
Icing Sugar (3%) 4.0 gm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



DRIED PINEAPPLE fruit processed is using a drier. This pineapple fruit contain a small number of added sugars and other additional material (ascorbic acid) to prevent fruit tanning process. Nevertheless, additional fine sugar addition is depending on respective taste. This is due to demand in this country is towards natural food and less use of synthetic material (synthetic). Consumers now is health concuisness. Hence, additional fine sugar is not required. This food also can be regarded as low calorie with high fiber.



PRESERVED PINEAPPLE pickle is the pineapple fruit that has been fermented and preserved using salt. Fermentation process is one of the food preservation process that uses salt water which controlled enzyme activity and prevent microorganism growth.


Syrup Formulation For Pineapple Pickle Fermentation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (g)
Pickle 1 kg
Salt Concentration (12%)
Salt Concentration (240 gm)
Water Concentration (1,760 ml) 2 litre
Alum 0.40%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syrup Preparation Formulation (1 kg)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (g)
Water 600
Sugar 400
Citric Acid 7
Alum 2
Natrium Benzoat (700 ppm) 0.7
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



PINEAPPLE JAM is made from mature pineapple fruit which is boiled with sugar with additional substance until becomes thick and then freeze. Important aspect which needs attention is fruit selection. Pineapple must be perfectly ripe. The young fruit contains acids and could affect jam quality. It is unsuitable if it is because its contain large amount of water and unattractive color.


Formulation for Pineapple Jam (1 kg Pineapple)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (g)
Pineapple Fillings 1 kg
Sugar 1.22 kg
Citric Acid 4.5 gm
Pectin 11.2 gm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



PINEAPPLE JUICE is a soft drink based on juice or pulp juice with low pH's level of 2.9 – 3.0.
Viscosity of the product is thick and contains high sugar. Brix level is about 40°Brix - 50°Brix. A preservative is used to prevent fungus and yeast breeding and also as squash’s colour stabilizer during storage.


Pineapple Juice Formulation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (grams)
Sugar 40.000%
Citric Acid 0.400%
Xantham Gum 0.250%
Water 19.330%
Pineapple Juice 40.000%
Natrium Metabisulfate (100 ppm) 0.017%
Ascorbic Acid 0.025%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



SWEET PINEAPPLE SAUCE can be prepared by cooking fruit puree pineapple, salt, sugar and blend it with water until boiled. To ensure high quality sauce, material selections need to be emphasized. Pineapple fruit need to be fresh and ripe. Sauce should be cooked to eradicate microorganism inside raw material. Cooking’s time and temperature has to followed to seek color, concentration, quality and sauce stability. Long heat processing would result in darker sauce. During mixing, gum has to be mixed first with sugar. Fine gum powder was not easy to melt in fruit mixture. Mix gum with sugar and put in inside the fruit mixture and stir. Citric Acid used to reduce sauce’s pH until it become less than 4.5. This would be vital because preservative used, namely Natrium Benzoat have maximum effect in pH 4.5 and below only.
Sauce is filled into the bottle when it is still hot. The function is to reduce microorganism pollution and produce partial vacuum in bottle’s mouth so that colour change in bottle’s neck could be reduced.


Sweet Pineapple Sauce Formulation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (g)
Pineapple Puree 300
Margarine 45
Sugar 330
Salt 7
Food Starch 17.6
Xantham Gum 0.4
Citric Acid 7
Water 292.5 Litres
Sodium Benzoat 0.42 gm (based on total weight of the above)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHILI PINEAPPLE SAUCE can be prepared by cooking pineapple puree, salt, sugar and
concentrate material together with water until boiled. To ensure high quality sauce, selection of material needs to be emphasized. Pineapple fruit need to be ripe. Ripe red chilli can produce attractive color. Sauce should be cooked to eradicate microorganism inside raw material. Cooking’s time and temperature have to be followed to get colour, concentration, quality and sauce stability. Long heat processing would result in darker sauce. During mixing, gum has to be mixed first with sugar. Fine gum powder will not easily melt in fruit mixture. Mix gum with sugar and put in inside the fruit mixture and stir. Citric Acid is used to reduce sauce’s pH until become less than 4.5. This would be vital because the preservative used, namely Natrium Benzoat have maximum effect in pH of 4.5 and below only. Sauce is filled into bottle when it is still hot. The purpose is to reduce microorganism pollution and produce partial vacuum in bottle’s mouth so that colour exchange in bottle’s neck could be reduced.


Formulation for Pineapple Jam (1 kg Pineapple)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients Quantity (g)
Red Chilli 40
Pineapple Puree 600
Sugar 346
Salt 25
Garlic 10
Food Starch / Gum 20 / 15
Asitic Acid 6
Sodium Benzoat 0.0343 (Based on the total weight of the above)



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[ Interested importer & Exporter in purchasing. Welcome mail to silverfuturegroup@gmail.com ]





Monday, February 27, 2012

CACAO POWDER & RAW CHOCOLATE










Cacao Powder & Raw Chocolate 
1. Natural Cocoa Powder.
2. Alkalised Cocoa Powder (10-12% Fat) Light Brown & Dark Brown.                                   
3. Instant Chocolate 3in1 Mix
4. Chocolate Wrapped Dried

[ Interested importer & Exporter in purchasing. Welcome mail to silverfuturegroup@gmail.com ] 


POMEGRANATE FRUIT & JUICE (CONCENTRATE)










Can be produced as Food & Beverage : 
Alcohol & Soft Drink, Wine, Puree Juice, Tea, Seeds Peel, Hibiscus, Biscuit Cookie, Chewing Gum, Jam Sauce, Dressing, Grain, Yogurt, Vinegar, Jelly Candy Sweet, Healthy & Slimming Products. 
Other : Condom, Soap, Perfume Essence.
[ Interested importer & Exporter in purchasing. Welcome mail to silverfuturegroup@gmail.com ]


Pomegranates are growing in popularity more and more every day.
Once consumers hear about the potential health benefits of pomegranates they become intrigued and have to try out this tasty fruit all for themselves. Whether they opt for real pomegranates or pomegranate juice, many are hooked the first time they try these tasty treats.
Pomegranates have actually been around since Ancient times. They are now realizing all of the potential health benefits of pomegranates and are intrigued by their possibilities.
Both in clinical trials and in laboratory testing, some studies have shown that pomegranates can be effective in reducing some symptoms of coronary heart disease.
Pomegranate also showed promise in the treatment of high blood pressure. The antioxidant benefits of pomegranates are also intriguing. If you have not tried the might pomegranate for yourself it is definitely a treat that you should try. After trying it just a few times, you too will likely be hooked.


Pomegranate Fruit
Fresh Fruit A = 9,10,12,15 counts in each standard carton.
Fresh Fruit B = 18 counts in each standard carton.


Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 346 kJ (83 kcal)
Carbohydrates 18.7 g
- Sugars 13.7 g
- Dietary fiber 4.0 g
Fat 1.2 g
Protein 1.7 g
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.07 mg (6%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.05 mg (4%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.29 mg (2%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.38 mg (8%)
Vitamin B6 0.08 mg (6%)
Folate (vit. B9) 38 μg (10%)
Vitamin C 10 mg (12%)
Calcium 10 mg (1%)
Iron 0.30 mg (2%)
Magnesium 12 mg (3%)
Phosphorus 36 mg (5%)
Potassium 236 mg (5%)
Zinc 0.35 mg (4%)

Pomegranate Juice Concentrate
Pomegranate Seed Extract 80%.Pomegranate Hull Extract,Ellagic Acid 90%.
Punica granatum,Pomegranate Extract.Guava Extract....  



Pomegranate seed may cause breast cancer cells to self-destruct: 
Researchers have found that pomegranates could have important implications for breast cancer treatment and the safety of oestrogen replacement therapy. 
Pomegranate seed oil triggers apoptosis, a self-destruct mechanism, in breast cancer cells. In addition, pomegranate juice can be toxic to most oestrogen-dependent breast cancer cells, while leaving normal breast cells largely unaffected. 

Oestrogen is a hormone prescribed to protect postmenopausal women against heart disease and osteoporosis: 
"Pomegranates seem to replace the oestrogen often prescribed to protect postmenopausal women against heart disease and osteoporosis, while selectively destroying dependent-dependent cancer cells," explains Dr. Ephraim Lansky, who headed the studies. 
In the first study, laboratory-grown breast cancer cells were treated for three days with pomegranate seed oil. The researchers observed apoptosis in 37 to 56 per cent of the cancer cells, depending on the dose of oil applied. 
In the second study, both normal and cancerous breast cells were exposed to pomegranate wine and pomegranate peel extracts, which contain polyphenols. The vast majority of the normal cells remained unaffected by the two pomegranate derivatives. But more than 75 per cent of the oestrogen-dependent cancer cells, and approximately half of the non-oestrogen dependent cancer cells were destroyed by exposure to these same pomegranate products. 
Dr. Martin Goldman, a New York-based board certified internist and life medicine specialist, notes, "this is apparently a safe substance that could be helpful to many people, especially women at high-risk for developing breast cancer." 
According to Dr. Lajos Pusztai, an assistant professor who studies breast cancer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, Dr. Lansky's study "provides a potential new avenue to develop anti-cancer drugs from a natural compound." 
Technion researchers have tested other health benefits of pomegranates, showing their antioxidant potency and ability to lower oxidation of LDL cholesterol, leading to the elimination of plaques in arteries. 

Pomegranate Power:Researchers discover the phytochemical potential in this ancient fruit: 
Pomegranates have been cultivated since prehistoric times. These extraordinary fruits have also appeared throughout history as symbols of fertility, royalty, hope, and abundance. Celebrated in art, mythology, religious texts and literature for centuries, pomegranates appear in Greek mythology, Egyptian papyrus, and have been mentioned in the Old Testament several times under the name of rimmon. An ancient fruit, the pomegranate was brought to China a century and a half before the Christian era. The pomegranate is depicted on floor mosaics of Pompeii. 
The word pomegranate is derived from Middle French pome garnete and literally means "seeded apple." The average pomegranate can contain as many as 800 seeds, and due to its profusion of seeds, the ancients connected the pomegranate with procreation and abundance, and they believed the goddess Aphrodite, deity of love, had planted it on the isle of Cyprus. It was because of the tiny, red pomegranate seed that Demeter's daughter, Persephone, was carried off by Hades to live a life divided between the underworld and the upper world. This much lauded fruit, however, hasn't quite supplanted the apple in popularity in American fare. And perhaps it should, considering recent preliminary studies extolling the health benefits of pomegranates. In fact, current studies suggest that these hardy, ancient fruits could become the next superfood. 
Adel A. Kader, Ph.D., Professor of Postharvest Physiology, Department of Pomology at the University of California, has conducted research on the phytochemical profile of pomegranates, and states that "our research indicates that the total antioxidant capacity of 100 ml of pomegranate juice is two to three times that of 100 ml of red wine and of 100 ml of green tea. This is due to the higher polyphenols content of pomegranates." 
A recently published article, "Antioxidant and eicosanoid enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate seed oil and fermented juice flavonoids," conducted at Israel's Institute of Technology (J Ethnopharmacol, July 1999) indicates that pomegranates contain flavonoids that are more concentrated than those found in grapes. Researchers examined the enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate fermented juice and seed oil. The pomegranate fermented juice and cold-pressed seed oil showed strong antioxidant activity close to that of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and green tea, and significantly greater than that of red wine. The investigators showed that pomegranate seed polyphenols possess potent antioxidant and most likely cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory effects as well. If consumed daily over a long period of time, the powerful antioxidants in pomegranates may help to combat cancer, and may also prevent hardening of the arteries. 
Other studies show that pomegranate seeds contain a number of flavonoids, including isoflavones with estrogenic capabilities. Flavonoids are part of a wide class of polyphenolic compounds that posses an impressive array of pharmacological activities. Researchers in England are studying the possibility of developing a virucide from pomegranates as a protective anti-viral agent against HIV. 
 In India, a preliminary study screening for antimicrobial activities of pomegranate seeds shows them to have potent antimicrobial activities against laboratory test organisms Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. While more studies are needed to further investigate the nutritional power of pomegranates, the nutritional significance of this ancient fruit is just beginning to emerge. 

Antioxidant and eicosanoid enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate seed oil and fermented juice flavonoids: 
Laboratories of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa. 
The antioxidant and eicosanoid enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate (Punica granatum) fermented juice and seed oil flavonoids were studied. The pomegranate fermented juice (pfj) and cold pressed seed oil (pcpso) showed strong antioxidant activity close to that of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and green tea (Thea sinensis), and significantly greater than that of red wine (Vitis vitifera). Flavonoids extracted from pcpso showed 31-44% inhibition of sheep cyclooxygenase and 69-81% inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase. Flavonoids extracted from pfj showed 21-30% inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase though no significant inhibition of sheep cyclooxygenase. The pcpso was analyzed for its polyphenol content and fatty acid composition. Total polyphenols in pcpso showed a concentration by weight of approximately 0.015%. Pcpso fatty acid composition showed punicic acid (65.3%) along with palmitic acid (4.8%), stearic acid (2.3%), oleic acid (6.3%), linoleic acid (6.6%) and three unidentified peaks from which two (14.2%) are probably isomers of punicic acid (El-Shaarawy, M.I., Nahpetian, A., 1983). Studies on pomegranate seed oil. Fette Seifen Anstrichmittel 83(3), 123-126). 

Pomegranate's antioxidant properties: 
Just because pomegranate has gained newsworthiness of late, we should not forget its considerable primary antioxidant powers or less sensational plaudits as a preventive health drink. Whatever else pomegranate contains that may be applicable to specific diseases and conditions, modern scientific interests all stems from that strong force for good. 
Back in 1999 Israeli research on pomegranate's juice and cold pressed seed oil first showed strong antioxidant activity close to that of (butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA]) and green tea, and significantly greater than that of red wine. 
It has already been established that antioxidant activity in pomegranate juices is higher when extracted from whole pomegranates than in experimental juices obtained from the luscious red arils only. Not forgetting the red fruits anthocyanidins (red pigment) that contribute to the antioxidant activity, pomegranate juice has superior bioactivity compared to its purified polyphenols, which illustrates how the chemical synergy of the whole fruit multiple compounds compared to single, purified, active ingredients may prove to be preferable. 
In the lab-to-mouth process, research into the antioxidant properties of extracts from pomegranate peel and seeds results have been so encouraging that they are likely to be exploited via applications for the preservation of food products, as well as health supplements and neutraceuticals. 
Delicious pomegranate juice, bursting with antioxidants, is now said to contain in one glass as many antioxidants as two glasses of red wine or ten cups of green tea! It is also packed with vitamins A, C and E, and folic acid, the latter being important in the first trimester of pregnancy. 
Another important aspect of polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice is that results in animal models show that dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice is neuro-protective for the neonatal brain, which affects the infant during the first month after birth. It is worth noting in relation to any forthcoming supplements that pomegranate peel has a high polyphenolic content. A gel made from the peel has also demonstrated wound-healing capacity. 


Pomegranate, floral medicine and diabetes: 

The pomegranate really does have a most beautiful flower and this part of the amazing plant is no less interesting or medicinally exciting. The use of the flower has been recommended in Unani, an ancient and most natural form of medicine, as a remedy for diabetes. 

Earlier last year Australian researchers found that their scientific investigation of pomegranate flower extract improved hyperglycaemia in Type II diabetes and obesity, at least partially. Last autumn, further phytochemical investigation demonstrated that pomegranate flower extract's gallic acid is mostly responsible for its glycaemic activity. This was good news because it will help toward a better understanding of the extract's therapeutic mechanism and potential. 
Last autumn a human study by Iranian researchers found that concentrated pomegranate juice (CPJ) improves lipid profiles in diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia, ie. the presence of excess lipids in the blood. They concluded that CPJ consumption may modify heart disease risk factors in hyperlipidemic patients and therefore its inclusion in their diets may be beneficial. 
Additionally, research findings on excess triglyceride accumulation and increased fatty acid oxidation in the diabetic heart, which contribute to cardiac dysfunction, suggested that pomegranate flower extract improves abnormal cardiac lipid metabolism, thereby aiding heart function.

Pomegranate the Anticarcinogenic: 
In October, 2005, Australian pop-singer Kylie Minogue, after her own devastating diagnosis for breast cancer, with great positivity helped raise the profile of breast cancer; but we must never forget that men can get this form of cancer too.
It is good to know that, as well as pomegranate's potential non-cytotoxic therapy for leukaemia25 (pomegranate fermented juice, pericarp extracts and 'fatty acids' from seed oil), flavonoid-rich polyphenol fractions from pomegranate fruit have been shown to exert anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, anti-eicosanoid and pro-apoptotic actions in breast and prostate cancer cells and other solid malignancies.
The roseate fruit is exceptional in that various parts of the fruit, eg. seed oil, juice, fermented juice and peel extract have been shown to exert suppressive effects on human breast cancer cells in vitro.
Four years ago, in Korea, in laboratory testings of pomegranate as a chemo-preventive against breast cancer, it was found that pomegranate seed oil had the edge on cancer cell line death (apoptosis), ranging from 90 percent inhibition of proliferation of (MCF-7) at 100 microg/ml medium and other results at 75 percent, and 54 percent apoptosis (cell death) at 50 microg/ml. In another test pomegranate fermented juice polyphenols effected 47 percent inhibition of cancerous lesion formation, suggesting further clinical trials were warranted.
However, more recent American research interest in pomegranate's potential for aiding breast cancers (Summer, 2004) has shown the fruit as an anti-carcinogen to be very useful indeed. In fact, results highlight enhanced breast cancer preventive potential both for a purified compound and for pomegranate seed oil, both greater than that previously reported for pomegranate fermented juice polyphenols.

Prostate cancer: 
Prostate cancer is the most common invasive malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among US males, with a similar trend in many Western countries like the UK. In fact, prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in UK men. Every year over 30,000 men are diagnosed and 10,000 men die from it.
One approach to control this malignancy is its prevention through the use of agents present in human diet. 'Lifestyle and diet' is important to all areas of health, but recently a randomized, controlled trial involving 93 men with biopsy-proven, untreated prostate cancer, suggested changes in lifestyle and diet can make considerable in-roads into the prevention of prostate cancer in men and even reverse its progression. A good move into changing diet would be for men to drink pomegranate juice.
Although it is early days, a Wisconsin team first tested pomegranate juice with its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties on laboratory cultures of human prostate cancer cells. They found the extract killed the cancer cells and the higher the dose, the more cells died. Animal testing proved the juice to 'slow' tumour growth. Researchers suggested that pomegranate juice may not only have cancer-protective effects, but also chemotherapeutic effects against prostate cancer in humans. Further research is required, but as a recommendation from man to man it was stated: "It is not too soon to point out that diet is plainly significant in the development of prostate cancer. As there are sound reasons for adopting a healthy diet with generally increased intake of fruit and vegetables, why not consider pomegranate, and its juice, as one of the ways of achieving this."

Pomegranate fruit juice for chemoprevention and chemotherapy of prostate cancer: 
Prostate cancer is the most common invasive malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among U.S. males, with a similar trend in many Western countries. One approach to control this malignancy is its prevention through the use of agents present in diet consumed by humans. Pomegranate from the tree Punica granatum possesses strong antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. We recently showed that pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) possesses remarkable antitumor-promoting effects in mouse skin. In this study, employing human prostate cancer cells, we evaluated the antiproliferative and proapoptotic properties of PFE. PFE (10-100 microg/ml; 48 h) treatment of highly aggressive human prostate cancer PC3 cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth/cell viability and induction of apoptosis. Immunoblot analysis revealed that PFE treatment of PC3 cells resulted in (i) induction of Bax and Bak (proapoptotic); (ii) down-regulation of Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2 (antiapoptotic); (iii) induction of WAF1/p21 and KIP1/p27; (iv) a decrease in cyclins D1, D2, and E; and (v) a decrease in cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) 2, cdk4, and cdk6 expression. These data establish the involvement of the cyclin kinase inhibitor-cyclin-cdk network during the antiproliferative effects of PFE. Oral administration of PFE (0.1% and 0.2%, wt/vol) to athymic nude mice implanted with androgen-sensitive CWR22Rnu1 cells resulted in a significant inhibition in tumor growth concomitant with a significant decrease in serum prostate-specific antigen levels. We suggest that pomegranate juice may have cancer-chemopreventive as well as cancer-chemotherapeutic effects against prostate cancer in humans.

Skin cancer: 
On a lighter note, pomegranate is one of the most important botanicals pertaining to dermatologic uses, eg. botanical-based cosmeceuticals. Dermatological scientists have published clinical trials for the treatment of parameters of extrinsic ageing, such as environmental damage. More importantly, topical application of pomegranate fruit extract tested on mouse skin appears to exhibit protective action in skin tumours. Furthermore, pomegranate seed oil has an excellent profile and a couple of years ago topical application for possible skin cancer protective efficacy was investigated. The overall results highlighted the potential of the seed oil as a 'safe' and effective protective agent against skin cancer. 
This is excellent news because skin cancer is also one of the most common cancers in the UK and the number of people who get it is increasing. The number of cases has more than doubled since the early 1980s. There are over 69,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year in the UK; many are not reported so the real number is probably much higher. Over 2,000 people die from skin cancer each year. The significant fact is that there are proportionately more skin cancer deaths in the UK than in Australia, so it is likely there will be even greater interest and research into pomegranate's products coming from that quarter before long. 

Cancer of the mouth and oesophagus: 
Just as TV Chef Rick Stein is following the canal system of France learning and sampling the delights of fresh regional food, so the cancer curative properties and potential of pomegranate follow the human alimentary canal. Cancer of the mouth, once rare, is increasingly noticeable. Cancer of the oesophagus has a more varied geographical distribution and incidence than any other commonly occurring cancer. Its incidence rate is increasing in many countries, especially among males. 
Although oesophageal cancer has been found to be associated with the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, particularly when combined, in the last decade the role of nutrition and diet in the etiology of this disease has attracted worldwide attention, 'Regions with a large incidence of this disease are generally located in poor parts of the world, and their inhabitants share several dietary characteristics. They subsist on a diet high in starch and almost without fresh fruit or vegetables, eat rapidly without sufficient mastication, and consume many foods and drinks such as tea at very high temperatures. 
Unfortunately, in the West, diet and eating and drinking habits do in many instances comply with this dietary deficit pattern, but by choice! And again, in a dietary survey carried out as long ago as 1987 ¡®in Mazanderan Province of the Caspian Littoral of Iran, where the inhabitants have the highest rate of esophageal cancer in the world, ¡¬ they drink more tea at a much higher temperature [and] very little fruit and vegetables are consumed by [those] of the high-risk region, whereas inhabitants in the low-risk area keep vegetables and citrus fruits as an important part of their usual diets. 
Mouth cancer can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat, which condition is also linked to poor diet! It kills 1,700 people in the UK every year and some 4,300 new cases are diagnosed annually. Men are still twice as likely to develop mouth cancer, but it has also become increasingly common in women in the last 10 years. Whereas previously it was thought that older people were particularly vulnerable to the disease, binge drinking and smoking may be fuelling an increase in mouth cancer among young people. 
Anecdotally, in the Middle East, Iran and India, healers use the bark, leaves and skin and rind as well as the edible parts of pomegranate to cure everything from conjunctivitis to haemorrhoids, eg. a paste of the leaves massaged into the scalp is said to reverse baldness. However, it is a boiled infusion of pomegranate rinds that is used to soothe a sore throat. This may give a clue to which way researchers should next advance in investigating pomegranate while looking for a mouth cancer cure. 
Near the end of our journey along the alimentary canal, dietary CLA-rich pomegranate seed oil has been found to suppress colon carcinogenesis, which inhibition is associated in part with the increased content of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) in the colon and liver. 

Pomegranate general benefits: 
Moving on down the alimentary canal, traditionally anti-diarrhoeal, pomegranate rind extract has been shown to have gastro-protective activity through its antioxidant mechanism. 
Mexican researchers tested antibacterial properties of aqueous and methanolic extracts of 26 medicinal plants used in Mexico to treat gastrointestinal disorders against eight different species of entero-pathogens which cause diarrhoea and dysentery: two Escherichia coli species; two Shigella sonnei species; two Shigella flexneri species; and two Salmonella sp. species. Surprise, Surprise! Pomegranate possessed strong antibacterial activity against most of the pathogens tested. Plus, when some 54 plants extracts of importance in the Ayurvedic system of traditional Indian medicine used to treat enteric diseases were screened for their potential against multi-drug resistant Salmonella typhi, pomegranate showed strong antibacterial activity. 
Pomegranate is also one of eight plants tested by Australian researchers last year which may provide alternative but bioactive medicines for the treatment of the widespread Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.43 Indian animal studies have also evaluated the pomegranate seed extract and established it to be effective as an anti-diarrhoeal agent. 
With regard to safe usage, in 2003 a Cuban research investigation focused on the toxicity evaluation of the whole pomegranate fruit (hydro-alcoholic) extract, which is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases, because previous findings on the anti-influenza activity of pomegranate extracts had given support to the ethno-pharmacological application. It was concluded that any toxic effects of Punica granatum fruit extract occurred at higher doses than those effective in the models where the anti-viral activity has been studied or than those doses used in Cuban medicine. 
Earlier, when extracts of 13 Brazilian medicinal plants used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases were screened for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and yeasts, results found pomegranate showed good activity on Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and anti-candidal46A activity was detected. Also, in the early 90s, plants used in Argentine folk medicine screened for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, commonly present on skin and mucous membranes which causes boils and abscesses, showed that pomegranate pericarp (outer rind) extract produced one of the more active results. 
 In the wake of recent world-shaking disasters, such as the Asian Tsunami , the more recent Katrina hurricane's strike on New Orleans, the September earthquake in Peru and latest large earthquake in Pakistan, the fearful spectre of 'cholera' is always waiting at the gate to claim victims. Peruvian people, in the popular treatment of diarrhoea, use natural products with good success. Accordingly, Peruvian scientists, when testing several plants in vitro on Vibrio cholerae (which causes cholera), found that tea infusion and the decoction of pomegranate peel showed the best bactericidal effect and they suggested it could be used to stop cholera spreading.