In an article for the Fort Francis Times Online, Chef Dez of Vancouver states that "The leathery skin and membrane of this fruit are inedible, and therefore the seeds are the only part we consume."
Let us clarify immediately: 'inedible' need not mean that the substance is poisonous or that it will cause harm in the form of illness or death; it may mean only that the substance is not good to eat. Many wild plants and things such as worms and insects are 'edible' in that they will provide nourishment, but they are not attractive to American tastes.
Facts About Pomegranate Membranes
- The author has been consuming pomegranate membranes in small amounts since he was a child and has suffered no known ill effects. But let's face it, the stuff is isn't particularly tasty. It's bitter.
- The pomwonderful.com website states that they make pomegranate juice by crushing the entire fruit, including the rind, which contains larger amounts of antioxidants than the juice of the arils (fleshy capsule around the seeds)
- There is a patented process (WO/2004/056444) for extracting antioxidants from pomegranate waste (membranes and rind).
- A thorough web search produced no indication that the membranes are toxic. (Logicians reading this will point out that absence of evidence does not constitute evidence of absence.)
Web Rumors: Arsenic?
That web search did turn up some vague rumors on snopes.com (always a good place to check out vague rumors!) but produced no indication that the membranes or even the rind are toxic. At least, not to humans.
Pomegranate Extract Kills Germs
It turns out that in addition to all its other health benefits, pomegranate juice is both a bacteriostat ( inhibits the growth of bacteria) and a potential antibiotic. A study conducted in 2004 by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil found that "Pomegranate extract inhibits Staphylococcus aureus growth and subsequent enterotoxin production." Staph. aureus, a common bacterium found on skin and other tissues, causes numerous disease conditons. The enterotoxins from the bacteria create digestive upsets.
The study notes that a low concentration (0.01%) of pomegranate extract delayed bacterial growth, while a higher concentration (1%) eliminated bacterial growth. Most interestingly, a 0.05% concentration of extract was found to inhibit Staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) production. "These data further implicate pomegranate extracts as potential antibacterial therapeutics with the added ability to inhibit enterotoxin production," the study concludes.
In other words, you can eat the pomegranate pith. The pomegranate membranes are not toxic, or poisonous. It's considered inedible because it tastes bitter. But it won't do you any harm - unless you're a Staphylococcus aureus.
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