Pomegranates are naturally vivid, right?

December 2, 2007 9:20 AM

Are the fresh pomegranates sold in US grocery stores colored with any sort of food dye, either outside or inside?

It seems extremely unlikely to me, but a produce manager at my grocery store insists that pomegranates are artificially colored or have some sort of dye injected into them.

I can't find any evidence online that he's right, but as they say, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." Anyone know if this is ever done?

posted by needs more cowbell to food & drink (19 comments total)

I'd say probably not. I eat pomegranates by the kilo in Egypt (really, by the kilo), and they have the same basic coloring that they have in the States. I think the main issue is that the pomegranates change their color during the season. In the US they tend to be all red, but elsewhere they can range from yellow with a faint pink blush to full red. I can't imagine that there'd be any point to coloring them artificially.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:25 AM on December 2, 2007

Oh, and the same thing happens inside, too. Beginning of the season, the seeds inside have flesh that is clear or nearly transparent, by the end it can be dark, dark wine.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:31 AM on December 2, 2007

I'm jealous of your kilos of pomegranates :)

Are you talking about variation among *ripe* pomegranates over the season, or are you saying that they get darker as they ripen? Over here the paler pomegranates don't seem to be as ripe or as sweet.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:36 AM on December 2, 2007

There are different varietals of pomegranates, which range from pure white in colour all the way to 'Ah, shit, I am never going to get this burgundy spot out of my blouse.'

The particular varietal that we're mainly seeing now, the Wonderful variety, created and owned by POM, is a deeper more consistent colour than the less carefully controlled varietals we used to get were. But that's the result of some fairly significant effort on the part of POM to engineer a varietal that they could overmarket the way they have.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:48 AM on December 2, 2007

I'd think a good test to tell whether or not the innards of a pomegranate had been dyed would be to check the color of the inedible stuff inside that keeps all the seeds in place. In every pomegranate I have seen, that stuff is perfectly beigey in color, not red at all. I'd be amazed at a technique that could get all the seeds red but keep that stuff beige.

(I'm bad with colors. I'm not sure beige is the right word. Off-white? Eggshell? Well, I assume you know what I'm talking about..)

No clue about the outsides, though.
posted by Ms. Saint at 9:48 AM on December 2, 2007

I used to buy the produce for a food co-op. The organic pomegranates (I can say with certainty that they weren't dyed) were every bit as colorful as conventional.
posted by pullayup at 9:52 AM on December 2, 2007

I'm jealous of your kilos of pomegranates :)

Yeah, but just imagine how depressed I'll be next year when I'm paying $1 per piece.*

Are you talking about variation among *ripe* pomegranates over the season, or are you saying that they get darker as they ripen? Over here the paler pomegranates don't seem to be as ripe or as sweet.

Pomegranates in September, even when they were "ripe" and relatively sweet in flavor, were very pale. They also had less of the characteristic "pomegrante-y" flavor.

*Pomegranates in Egypt, depending on quality and where you buy them, range from around 2-6LE/kilo. That's between $0.30-$1.25/lb!
posted by Deathalicious at 9:59 AM on December 2, 2007

I bet that your produce manager grew up eating a pink varietal. My grandparents grow both a red and a pink pomegranate varietal and they only let us eat the pink ones in the house as little girls because the red ones stained so viciously. I'll second Deathalicious on the flavor - once I was old enough to eat the red ones, the pink ones seemed pretty insipid.
posted by crinklebat at 11:22 AM on December 2, 2007

It isn't unimaginable that the outsides of pomegranates are died to make them look more uniform and hide blemishes (that's what they used to do with pistachios). Even if they were, I'd think it unlikely that they'd try dying the inside.

I think the other explanations people have offered are more likely though.
posted by Good Brain at 12:03 PM on December 2, 2007

I agree with everything jacquilyne says but this:

the Wonderful variety, created and owned by POM


The Wonderful Pomegranate has been propagated in California since the 1890's. My Grandparents had one in their backyard from before I was born, probably planted in the 1960's.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:36 PM on December 2, 2007

I agree with the majority of responses. Pomegranates are my favorite fruit, but they are only available this time of the year. I have been known to eat 4 pomegranates in a 24 hour period. That being said, I don't think they are dyed, as the outside usually matches the depth of color of the arils. However, I will say that my nails and the skin around my mails will be dyed yellow when I spend too much time pulling apart poms. I don't know where that comes from!
posted by Inside Out Girl at 1:01 PM on December 2, 2007

Oops. I just noticed the typo in my last post. mails=nails
sorry.
posted by Inside Out Girl at 1:02 PM on December 2, 2007

hey, jacquelynne: i have the (excellent) habit of eating pomegranates in bed while i watch 30-rock dvds. i have white sheets. the tide pen gets pomegranate spots out really, unbelievably well- even if you've already tried to wash them out. dab it on and nothing happens. but within half an hour, the stain has vanished, yeah! the stuff in those pens smells like a pig's ass, but when it dries the smell goes away. and you don't need to follow up with washing the item right away after using it, unless you want to. sorry to sound like a shill, but this thing has afforded me some very pleasant, purple-spattered evenings, and as a consumer (of too many pomegranates), i heartily endorse it.
posted by twistofrhyme at 1:32 PM on December 2, 2007 [3 favorites]

The Wonderful Pomegranate has been propagated in California since the 1890's. My Grandparents had one in their backyard from before I was born, probably planted in the 1960's.

My mistake, sorry. I think I may have been confusing some things I read about POM funding research into pomegranates and health benefits, research on their specific varietal, and ownership of branding into a whole different take on the situation.

the tide pen gets pomegranate spots out really, unbelievably well- even if you've already tried to wash them out.

I have one around here, and never found it got anything out of anything, but I'll give it a try on some of my pom stained towels.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:47 PM on December 2, 2007

However, I will say that my nails and the skin around my mails will be dyed yellow when I spend too much time pulling apart poms.

The pith (beige-y part) of your pomegranate contains loads of tannins. As far as I know, pomegranates can actually be used to make two kinds of fabric dye: red/burgundy from the juice (many people discover this accidentally), and yellow/brown from the pith. Neato, huh?
posted by pullayup at 3:40 PM on December 2, 2007

Shoot, that Wikipedia link should have been: tannins
posted by pullayup at 3:41 PM on December 2, 2007

Wear a bib, that color is the real deal.
posted by caddis at 4:27 PM on December 2, 2007

Yeah, but just imagine how depressed I'll be next year when I'm paying $1 per piece.*

Or $3.00, which is what they're going for here in Texas. I'm still eating two or three a week, but at these prices I'm glad they're not available all year around.
posted by pomegranate at 5:17 PM on December 2, 2007

Or $3.00, which is what they're going for here in Texas. I'm still eating two or three a week, but at these prices I'm glad they're not available all year around.
posted by pomegranate

Okay..that is insane. Also, I am so so sorry your pomegranates are so costly. It will take a lot out of me, but I will eat as many as I can in your place.
posted by Deathalicious at 3:38 PM on December 3, 2007