Enhancing Antioxidant Potential and Bioactive Compounds Preservation of Ready-to-eat Pomegranate Arils Through Modified Atmosphere Packaging Enriched with Thymol

Bioactive materials are rapidly lost during storage. The present study evaluated how modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and thymol fumigation can affect the bioactive profile and antioxidant activity of arils in pomegranate. The amounts of gallic acid (858.50 mg L⁻¹), catechin (176.64 mg L⁻¹), p-coumaric acid (10.74 mg L⁻¹), trans-ferulic acid (49.01 mg L⁻¹), and hesperidin (15.71 mg L⁻¹) in arils packaged under high O₂ atmosphere (HO₂A) containing thymol were 47.5%, 17.91%, 11.91%, 7.93%, and 19.03% higher than values caused by passive MAP. Additionally, they were 43.5%, 15.6%, 10.33%, 6.08%, and 13.04% higher than values caused by low O₂ atmosphere (LO₂A), and 25.15%, 14.44%, 8.19%, 4.93%, and 9.42% higher than values caused by high CO₂ atmosphere (HCO₂A) containing thymol, respectively. The best method to maintain the nutritional quality of packaged pomegranate arils is the use of HO₂A with thymol, which can preserve bioactive chemicals and help improve antioxidant activity.