This study investigates sustainable extraction protocols for the recovery of bioactive compounds from by-products of various pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars, including Acco, Hicaz, Jolly Red, Parfianka, Valenciana, and Wonderful, generated during the industrial processing of the fruits. Advanced extraction technologies, including ultrasounds, microwaves, and hydrodynamic cavitation, have been compared to conventional extraction procedures and utilized to enhance extraction efficiency while also minimizing environmental impact. Water-based extraction methods have been utilized to promote the development of sustainable and eco-friendly processes. The comparison between conventional extractions and ultrasound-assisted extractions (UAEs) and microwave-assisted extractions (MAEs) demonstrated notable improvements in extraction yields, particularly for ellagitannins (punicalins, punicalagins, and ellagic acid) and total polyphenols, with increases ranging from about 45 to 200%. However, the increases directly comparing UAEs to MAEs ranged from about 4 to 6%. This indicates that while both UAEs and MAEs offer notable improvements over conventional extractions, the differences in extraction efficiency between the two advanced methods were relatively modest. These advancements were observed across various pomegranate cultivars, highlighting the versatility and effectiveness of these methods. Notably, hydrodynamic cavitation-based extractions (HC) emerged as particularly promising, consistently yielding the highest levels of bioactive compounds (ellagitannins and total polyphenols), especially when operated at higher frequencies. Compared to conventional extractions, HC exhibited substantial increases in extraction yields for Wonderful pomegranate by-products, surpassing the efficiency of both UAEs and MAEs (approximately 45 and 57% for UAE and MAE, respectively, versus about 80% for HC). Among these advanced techniques, HC has emerged as particularly promising, yielding the most favorable results and leading to significant improvements in the yield of bioactive compounds. When directly compared to UAEs and MAEs, HC increased extraction yields by over 20%. Furthermore, HC allowed for shorter extraction times. The Wonderful cultivar consistently exhibited the highest levels of ellagitannins and the highest total polyphenol content among all types of extraction procedures used, whether conventional or advanced. This highlights the great potential of the Wonderful cultivar in terms of bioactive compound extraction and underscores its significance in research and applications related to pomegranate processing and utilization. This study suggests that the implementation of these advanced technologies into extraction processes represents a significant advancement in the field, offering a promising avenue for the development of efficient and environmentally friendly extraction methods for obtaining valuable bioactive compounds from pomegranate processing by-products.

The agri-food processing industry predominantly relies on fossil fuels, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and extensive water use. Climate change requires a conversion of food processing technologies towards sustainability. Our research focuses on testing and validating pulsed electric field (PEF) technology as a mild processing method for stabilizing freshly squeezed, not from concentrate, blood orange juice. Experiments were carried out on a continuous pilot plant endowed with a patented treatment chamber that ensures a constant flow of product without “hot spots” for a homogeneous treatment. Once the operative conditions of the process in terms of energy density were optimized, PEF-treated blood orange juice was tested in order to evaluate the effects on physico-chemical parameters (total soluble solids, total acidity, pH, CIE L*, a*, b*, C*, h color indices, cloud, bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid, total anthocyanins, total and individual flavanones), antioxidant activity (ORAC units, total phenolic content), microbial communities (aerobic mesophilic viable count, yeasts and molds, acid-tolerant microorganisms), residual enzymatic pectinmethylesterase activity, and sensory attributes (flavor, off-flavor, off-odor, color, intensity of odor, acidity, sweetness, bitter, freshness, cooked flavor). Then, in order to simulate the commercial refrigerated distribution of PEF-treated blood orange juice and define its refrigerated shelf-life, the PEF-treated freshly squeezed, not from concentrate, blood orange juice was subjected to physico-chemical, antioxidant, microbiological, and sensory evaluations over twenty days of refrigerated storage at 4 ± 1 °C. The PEF treatment effectively ensured excellent microbial inactivation and enhanced the nutritional and health characteristics of the juice, thereby extending its shelf-life. This study demonstrates the significant potential of the PEF treatment to produce blood orange juice suitable for a new retail segment—freshly squeezed juices with superior health quality, fresh-like characteristics, and extended refrigerated shelf-life.