POM Wonderful adds pomegranate fiber to specialty ingredients lineup

Los Angeles-based POM Wonderful has added Pomegranate Fiber to its growing specialty ingredients lineup.

The Pomegranate Fiber, which is upcycled from POM Wonderful pomegranate husks after juicing, is a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), fiber-dense powder that can be used in a variety of food applications, including crackers, sauces, dressings, baked goods and plant-based food, according to a news release.

Pomegranate Fiber is made under POM Wonderful’s growing specialty ingredients division, which provides raw ingredients to suppliers across the food and beverage industry, the release said. Pomegranate Fiber has numerous culinary benefits — it can help draw out flavor and color, and in baked goods, the powder enhances browning, which ultimately reduces cook times. It has soluble and insoluble fiber plus antioxidant goodness and polyphenols, according to the release.

POM Wonderful says it uses a proprietary method to press whole pomegranates to create POM 100% Pomegranate Juice. After the initial press, the husks are then pressure extracted to create POMxL, a concentrated liquid extract that is also part of POM’s specialty ingredient line-up, and the remaining pomegranate husk is dried and milled to create Pomegranate Fiber.

 “We are thrilled to add another specialty ingredient to our line-up that is versatile and upholds our commitment to nourishing naturally,” Jason Horvath, sales manager for POM Wonderful Specialty Ingredients, said in the release. “With the Pomegranate Fiber, we are providing better-for-you options to the food and beverage industry while continuing our work towards a zero-waste future.”   

The addition of the Pomegranate Fiber comes on the heels of POMxL’s Upcycled Certification.

POM Wonderful says sustainability is at the forefront for the company. In 2020, POM Wonderful launched the Innovation Challenge, offering $1 million in funding and development resources to innovators who could develop an economical and environmentally friendly solution to upcycle its 60,000 tons of pomegranate husks, according to the release. In 2022, POM Wonderful transitioned all its 16-ounce bottles of POM Wonderful juices to 100% rPET and completed work on its solar farm, which provides more than 90% of the company’s electricity needs for its Del Rey, Calif., processing facility. 

The Wonderful Company and its owners, Stewart and Lynda Resnick, have invested more than $1.3 billion in environmental sustainability initiatives to help fight climate change, according to the release. The commitment includes a $750 million gift from the Resnicks to the California Institute of Technology in support of the school’s environmental sustainability research, the release said.