1 CHEMICAL, PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF POMEGRANATE (Punica granatum L.) BAGASSE POWDER CO-PRODUCT. Viuda-Martos M., Ruiz-Navajas Y., Martin-Sánchez A. , Sánchez-Zapata E., Fernández- López J., Sendra E., Sayas-Barberá E., Navarro C., Pérez-Álvarez J.A. IPOA Research Group (UMH-1 and REVIV-Generalitat Valenciana). AgroFood Technology Department. Miguel Hernández University Spain. INTRODUCTION Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a fruit becoming more popular because of its healthy properties (antiatherogenic, antioxidant, antihypertensive, etc.), which have been widely shown (Basu and Penugonda, 2009). Generally, the edible parts of pomegranate are used for the preparation of canned beverages, jelly, jam, paste and, especially, fresh juice which can be obtained from the arils or the whole fruit. Once the juice has been extracted, the wastes that remain are composed mainly of pulp and bagasses. Uses for these co-products are scarce and their disposal represents a problem. However, their composition means that they have the potential to be used for other ends, for example to obtain dietary fibre or bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to determine the chemical, physico-chemical and functional properties of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) bagasse powder co-product (PBP) as a potential dietary fiber source for food enrichment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant material To obtain the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) bagasse powder co-product, the pomegranate fruits were cut in half and squeezed in a Moulinex juicer to obtain pomegranate juice and the bagasse. The bagasse was triturated for 40 seconds in a vertical cutter (Tecator 1094 Homogeneizer, Tekator, Hoganas, Sweden) to obtain uniformly sized pieces and so increase the contact time during washing (1 L of water per kg of product; 75ºC; 10 min). The whole co-product was pressed and then it was lyophilized in a Christ Alpha 2-4 lyophilizer (B. Braun Biotech, Melsungen, Germany), for 48 hours. A grinder mill and sieves were used to obtain a powder particle size of less than 0.417 mm. Chemical analysis Ash, protein, and fat content were determined by AOAC methods (AOAC, 1997). Total dietary fiber (TDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) were determined following 985.29 AOAC methods (AOAC, 1997). Soluble dietary fiber (SDF) was calculated by subtracting the IDF proportion from the TDF.