Pomegranate

The pomegranate, Punica granatum L., is one of the oldest known edible fruits and is associated with the ancient civilizations of the Middle East. This is the first comprehensive book covering the botany, production, processing, health and industrial uses of the pomegranate. The cultivation of this fruit for fresh consumption, juice production and medicinal purposes has expanded more than tenfold over the past 20 years. Presenting a review of pomegranate growing, from a scientific and horticultural perspective, this book provides information on how to increase yields and improve short- and medium-term grower profitability and sustainability.

Supple but crunchy, sweet but tart—with its strange construction of seeds filled with delicious garnet juice so vibrant it’s hard not think it is some otherworldly blood—no wonder the pomegranate has appealed so much to the human imagination throughout the centuries. Holding aloft this singular fruit in the light of human history, Damien Stone offers a unique look at an alluring fruit that has figured in our culinary consciousness from the gardens of the ancient world to the health-food section of supermarkets. Stone takes us back to the early polytheistic religions and the important role that pomegranates had in their rituals. From there he shows how they came to be held in high esteem in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike, examining exciting new findings that further cement their importance: for instance, many historians believe now that it was a pomegranate, not an apple, that was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Stone examines the allure that the pomegranate has had to a fascinating cast of famous figures, from ancient Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal to Tudor Queen Anne Boleyn, from Sandro Botticelli to Salvador Dalí. Drawing on text, image, and taste, Pomegranate is a cornucopia of strange and fascinating stories about a very special fruit.

While one may not find ancient studies that substantiate the pomegranate's curative and preventive qualities, the exalted status of this fruit goes back as far as the history of agriculture itself. Allusions to the pomegranate are readily found in the oldest cultures of the Indus Valley, ancient China, and classical Greece, as well as in the Old Testament. To modern scientists, the biochemistry of the pomegranate is as equally fascinating as its storied place in literature and religion. Providing an unprecedented compilation of scientific information, Pomegranates: Ancient Roots to Modern Medicine offers an exploration of the biochemistry, health effects, and cultivation of the pomegranate that is as authoritative as it is unparalleled. Featuring the contributions of a multidisciplinary and international team of prominent researchers, it presents the latest findings on the potential human health benefits of this exceptionally polyphenol-rich fruit. As the research indicates, the physiological effects of pomegranate juice constituents are remarkable in their preventive potential against two of the major chronic diseases of aging - heart disease and cancer. Many of the pioneering researchers responsible for initiating our newfound fascination with pomegranates discuss its biochemistry, detailing the location and action of the phytochemicals found in the fruit's flesh, peels and seeds. They present evidence of the pomegranate's impact on heart disease, including its ability to enhance nitric oxide production in endothelial cells. They also reveal the significant antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects attributed to the pomegranate in battling several different types of cancer cells, as well as its ability to retard tumor growth in animals. Recognizing that the pomegranate is only as valuable as it is available, the editors include a substantial section on commercialization and another on plant growth and improvement. These additions make this text as uniquely essential for botanists and agriculturists as it is for nutritionists, cancer researchers, natural product chemists, botanical supplement producers and consumers, and pharmacognosists seeking to evaluate both the pomegranate's legacy and future as a powerful natural healing agent.

Editor Biography: Augusta Caligiani was born in 1973. In 1997 she obtained the Master Degree in Chemistry at the University of Parma, where in 2000 she completed cum laude a Master in Food Chemistry and Technology. In 2006 she obtained the Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology and from 2005 she is Research Associate in Food Chemistry at the University of Parma. The research activities of Augusta Caligiani covers many aspects of the chemistry of foods: development of analytical methods for detection of food bioactive compounds, chiral analysis, food lipids profiling, food aroma fingerprinting, and food metabolomics by NMR techniques. She has published 38 papers on international peer-reviewed journals listed on the ISI data bank, 4 publications on non-ISI journals, 3 book chapters and more than 50 contributes in national and international congresses. Her papers were cited more than 400 times and she has an H-index of 11. She is also reviewer for many Journals in the field of food science. She received three Best Poster Award in Italian and International congresses. She participated to National and European projects and she is scientific coordinator for many contracts with private Food Companies and for an agreement with an Italian Control Body in the food sector. Book Description: Pomegranates are increasingly distributed and consumed worldwide both as fresh fruit or processed products, like juices and food supplements. The present commercial success of this fruit and its purported health benefits are associated with an impressive increase of scientific research published on the pomegranate. The huge amount of new data produced every year by the scientific community necessitates a periodic review of the results. The aim of this book is to provide an update of the results in pomegranate research. Each chapter is conceived as an in-depth, state-of-the art compilation on the main topics regarding pomegranates. This is to ensure the status of a reference manual for all the scientists approaching different aspects of pomegranate research and to the industrial sector in order to improve/develop the pomegranate chain. The choice of an edited collection originates from the need to have different specializations and a multi-disciplinary approach to describe all the different topics related to pomegranates, spanning from botany, chemistry, and nutrition to technology and medical research. Topics discussed in this book include pomegranate biodiversity and phytochemical composition of pomegranate pulp, peels, seeds and oil; polyphenols antioxidant activity, bioavailability and metabolism by gut microbiota; current evidence supporting the benefits of pomegranate products in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer; allergies to pomegranate; pomegranate processing and recovery of waste from pomegranate juice production for their possible re-use as a source of nutraceuticals. Target Audience: This book is conceived as high academic level. The proposed book is dedicated to all the scientific community, however it can be useful also for industries of pomegranate processing or for food supplements producers.

"I do not talk to dirty boys." The girl was defiant, her dress dusty, her scarf askew; tendrils of burnished copper hair escaping onto her face. She would not stand by as her brother defended her honor. She would defend herself. So begins the story of Batsheva Hagiz, the spirited daughter of a Jewish merchant dynasty in 12th Century Málaga. Her life is set by tradition, with schooling in languages, merchandise, and trade. But it's her love of swordplay and the ability to throw a dagger with deadly aim that will serve her best. On the caravan journey across the desert to her wedding, Batsheva is abducted by men who are certain their sheik will prize her body. In the early days of captivity, chained to his tent, she makes the decision to do more than merely survive. She will live. Her resolve will push the boundaries of convention, taking Batsheva from the sands of the Maghreb to the Holy Land where a crusade rages, on to the court of Plantagenet England. Batsheva is Everywoman; she refuses to give in to her fate. Instead, she confronts the world on her terms. In her third novel, S. J. Schwaidelson weaves another cinematic story, immersing readers into exotic lands and cultures with surprisingly contemporary conflicts and human passions.

A dark, contemporary romance based loosely on the myth of Hades and Persephone.

A Memoir with pomegranates by famed Soviet botanist, Dr. Gregory Levin. Botany, history and myths, range of tastes and rometies, amisine, health benefits of the pomegrante. Adventurous tale of survival in USSR, accounts of treks across trans-caucasus and Central Asia in search of last wild pomegranates.