Abstract
The fruit of the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an important nutraceutical food rich in polyphenolic compounds, including hydrolysable tannins, anthocyanins and flavonols. Their composition varies according to cultivar, tissue and fruit development stage and is probably regulated by a combination of MYB and bHLH type transcription factors (TFs). In this study, metabolomics analysis during fruit developmental stages in the main pomegranate cultivars, Wonderful and Valenciana with contrasting colour of their ripe fruits, showed that flavonols were mostly present in flowers while catechins were highest in unripe fruits and anthocyanins in late fruit maturation stages.

X-ray micro-CT imaging has been applied successfully in food science and seed research due to its capacity to provide very small details of seed traits that are very complex to score. The micropyle and the tissues of the hilum region of bean seeds are recognized as structures which play an important role in hydration process. This latter influences, in turn, not only germination but also the cooking and industrial processing. Nevertheless, the role of each structure of the bean seeds is yet to be fully understood. Moreover such traits are never been quantified by using 3D imaging approaches.

The flours coming from four ancient Sicilian durum wheat cultivars were used to produce spaghetti enriched with4%inulinattwodegreeofpolymerization(DP):cardoonroots(CRI,highDP)andchicory(CHI,lowDP). TheinfluenceofDPonquality,sensoryproperties,glycaemicindex(GI)ofenrichedspaghettiwasinvestigated; further the release of inulin after simulated in vitro digestion was also assessed. The DP affected most of the sensorialattributesofpastaasoverallqualityscore(OQS),cookinglossandoptimalcookingtime.Amongthe cultivars, Timilia and Margherito maintained the OQS scores after inulin addition. Both the presence and the differentDPofinulindidnotinfluencetheGIvalues,exceptadecreaserecordedforTimiliaspaghetti.Finally,in allthestudiedcultivars,DPsignificantlyaffectedtheinulinreleaseinthedigestivetracthighlightingthehighest amountofCRIinulininsolidfractionimportantforpotentialprebioticeffect.