The Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

Pomegranates have health benefits - high orac food. 

A pomegranate—the fruit of a semitropical shrub or small tree, Punica granatum, native to Asia— is about the size of an apple or orange. It has a tough, dark-red, yellow or brownish rind; and contains many seeds enclosed in a juicy translucent scarlet-red pulp. The seeds and the pulp are the edible parts of the fruit. The skin is bitter. Used in folk medicine for centuries in the Middle East, India, and Iran, the pomegranate has recently been acclaimed for its health benefits and antioxidant potential. Studies suggest that pomegranate juice may contain almost three times the total antioxidant ability compared with the same quantity of green tea. Pomegranate juice also contains high concentrations of ellagic acid, which is known to inhibit certain carcinogen-induced cancers and may have other chemo-preventive properties.

As a fresh fruit and juice, pomegranate compares favorably in ORAC value to other well-known antioxidant stars, such as blueberries, grapes, cranberries, red wine, green tea and orange juice.

105 ORAC units/gram for pomegranate fruit

93 ORAC units/gram for cranberry fruit

77 ORAC units/gram for blueberry

55 ORAC units/gram for blackberries and raspberries.

ORAC and pomegranate

ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a measure of how well antioxidants absorb free radicals. Superfruits such as the Acai berry, Goji Berry, Pomegranate and Mangosteen has quite high ORAC values. The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) ARS (Agricultural Research Service) in their 2007 ORAC values for selected foods has not provided data for these superfruits aside from pomegranate juice which scores 2,341.

To achieve optimum health, USDA recommends an intake of 5,000 ORAC units per day. Daily food consumption for an average person attains only about 20% to 30% of this recommendation. This means a lot more of foods with good ORAC scores like fruits and vegetables must be included in one's daily food intake.

Approximate ORAC scores taken other research institutions like Tufts University and manufacturers of superfruits has come up with the following data:

Cultivation

Suitable Climates - Pomegranates grow well in arid and semi arid climates where winters are cool and summers are hot. They have the ability to withstand temperatures of -10C.  

Suitable Soils - Pomegranates can grow in many different soil types and tolerate varying degrees of salinity in water.

Plant material - Air-layered plants taken from 4-year-old trees are harvested and used for making new trees. Planting distances used in India are 4m x 3 m (833 trees per hectare) or 5m x 3m (666 trees per hectare).

Planting density - Planting distances used in India are 4m x 3 m (833 trees per hectare) or 5m x 3m (666 trees per hectare).

Fertilisation - Trees respond well to organic fertilisation and foliar sprays with microelements.

Irrigation - Drip irrigation with 2 drippers on either side of the tree is common practice. Even though pomegranates are drought tolerant; correctly applied irrigation reduces fruit cracking and increases yields.

Pests & Diseases: Aphids, scale insects, fruit fly, thrips, false codling moth and mealy bugs are some of the insects that would have to be controlled.