{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nPomegranate peel, a major by-product of the food industry, represents an underexploited source of valuable bioactive compounds. In the framework of a circular economy approach, this study aimed to develop a sustainable and solvent-free extraction strategy based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation for the recovery of antioxidant and antimicrobial phytochemicals from pomegranate peel waste.Methods\n\nPomegranate peel was subjected to fermentation for 18, 24, 48, and 72 h, and the resulting extracts (YE_18h, YE_24h, YE_48h, and YE_72h), together with a conventionally obtained chemical extract (CE), were evaluated for their antioxidant activity. Based on its superior antioxidant activity, the extract obtained after 48 h of fermentation (YE_48h) was selected for ellagic acid quantification by HPLC and characterization by UHPLC-HRMS (Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry). Antibacterial activity of YE_48h, in comparison with CE, was assessed against six Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains.Results\n\nAmong the fermented samples, the extract obtained after 48 h of fermentation (YE_48h) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, showing an IC₅₀ value lower than that of a conventional chemical extract. Quantitative HPLC analysis revealed a remarkable enhancement in ellagic acid content, with YE_48h containing approximately 18-fold higher levels of ellagic acid than the conventional chemical extraction. UHPLC-HRMS fingerprinting further demonstrated the presence of additional bioactive phenolic compounds, including punicalagin isomers I and II and pedunculagin isomer I, which are known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The antibacterial assay demonstrated that fermentation modulated the antimicrobial profile of the extracts in a strain-dependent manner.Conclusions\n\nS. cerevisiae-mediated fermentation is an efficient and environmentally friendly approach for the valorization of pomegranate peel by-products, enhancing the release of bioactive compounds while generating extracts with promising antioxidant and selective antibacterial properties.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.",
    "BioStructures Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT@NEST), 56127 Pisa, Italy.",
    "Laboratorio NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy.",
    "Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56100 Pisa, Italy.",
    "Center for Instrument Sharing, University of Pisa (CISUP), Lungarno Pacinotti 43, 56126 Pisa, Italy.",
    "Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood, Nutraceuticals and Food for Health, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Simona Sagona",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1592-7522"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Francesco Margheriti",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1185-1954"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Matteo Banti"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Fabio Di Ricco",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-2161-6717"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Lorenzo Raffellini",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-2728-0987"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Clementina Manera"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Giuseppe Saccomanni"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Filippo Fratini",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1717-2947"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Marinella De Leo",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5544-8457"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Simona Rapposelli",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0146-6358"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dn2e6tm33m7n6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/foods15203764",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13704383",
  "id": "dn2e6tm33m7n6",
  "issns": [
    "2304-8158"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940400",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2916|Pomegranate: compositions and health benefits"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223170135",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13704383?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13704383",
  "pmid": "42940400",
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dn2e6tm33m7n6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42940400",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940400"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [],
  "title": "Development of Sustainable Extraction Processes for the Recovery of Antioxidants from Punica granatum L. Peel.",
  "title_text": "Development of Sustainable Extraction Processes for the Recovery of Antioxidants from Punica granatum L. Peel.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dn2e6tm33m7n6",
  "venue": "Foods (Basel, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}