*3.1. E*ff*ect of Cold Storage on Moisture Content of Pomegranate Aril*

The moisture content of fresh pomegranate arils decreased gradually with storage time from 74.7% to 57.4% (Table 1), which affected the weight of the fruit. Pomegranate fruit has been reported to be highly susceptible to weight loss [35], which lead to the visible dehydration observed in Figure 2. The reduced weight observed during storage could be attributed to transpiration through large pores in the fruit peel [4,36]. The reduction in the weight of the whole fruit consequently resulted in a weight reduction of the arils. These findings were corroborated by Fawole and Opara [4], who reported a significant reduction in weight of pomegranate fruit during cold storage.

**Table 1.** Changes in physicochemical attributes of fresh pomegranate arils during 12 weeks of cold storage at 7 ± 0.3 ◦C, 92 ± 3% RH (wet basis, w.b).


TSS, total soluble solids; TA, titratable acidity; TCD, total colour difference. Data presented as means ± SE in each column followed by different letters are significantly different (*p* < 0.05) according to Fisher's LSD.

**Figure 2.** Pomegranate whole fruit (raw material) at harvest **(A)** and during cold storage at 7 ± 0.3 ◦C, 92 ± 3% RH (w.b) at 4 weeks (**B**), 8 weeks (**C**) and 12 weeks (**D**) storage period. Fresh pomegranate arils show no noticeable differences visible to the naked eye for the period of 12 weeks.

Visual browning of 5% was observed in the arils immediately after peeling the fruit after eight weeks of storage, gradually increasing to 15% at the 12-week storage period. However, differences in the arils over time were unnoticeable in the pictorial representation in Figure 2. A similar study by Konopacka and Plocharski [37] reported increasing tissue browning in apple subjected to long term storage. Conversely, chemical dipping of 'Taify' pomegranate fruit before cold storage showed no browning of the aril tissue [38].
