## 1 Introduction  
Consumers have had an increasing interest in fruit juices which includes bioactive compounds that provide positive health outcomes. These bioactive compounds include polyphenolic compounds with anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties [1, 2]. Pomegranate (_Punica granatum_ L) which is a widespread fruit used in sauces and jams is also used as a supplemental material worldwide. This is one of the scarce fruits with significant functional characteristics, and its manufacturing rates are increasing, as well. There is a lot of interest in pomegranate fruit juice (PJ) due to its high phenolic compound content, for example, anthocyanins, ellagic tannins, and catechins. In addition to the many health benefits of bioactive compounds, anthocyanins are responsible for the bright red color, which is one of the essential properties of PJ. This impacts one of the main concerns of consumers [3, 4, 5]. A serious concern with PJ is microbial contamination with acid-resistant yeasts or mold, which lead to deterioration of nutritional and sensory properties such as color, smell, and flavor [6]. The percentage of microbial contamination depends on the process of manufacturing PJ, fruit type, harvest time, and processing conditions [7]. The expectation of consumers for healthy food is increasing with the improvement of technology. Nowadays, to increase the shelf life of food, microorganisms and enzymes are inhibited by chemical, thermal, or combined processes [8]. The conventional methods for thermal pasteurization use the conditions that are 63 \({}^{\circ}\)C-30 min, 72 \({}^{\circ}\)C-15 s, or 90 \({}^{\circ}\)C-5 s [9]. Conventional thermal pasteurization inhibits microorganisms that cause damage to the juices and raises the shelf life. This method still has disadvantages because it has negative effects on the sensory properties and especially on functional compounds [10]. In particular, the heat treatments affect the content of anthocyanins and the color of the juices. Anthocyanins decompose under the influence of heat treatment, causing undesirable color changes to brown or colorless. Therefore, alternative methods are needed to maintain the color of fruit juices [5]. Although food processing methods provide fresh, safe, and rich foods, the demand for alternative methods that minimize the effects on nutrient content is increasing [11]. Some of the non-thermal methods with the potential to replace thermal processing of foods include ultrasonic and ultraviolet treatments [12; 13]. Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is among the non-thermal process technologies used to sterilize and preserve food and juices. The wavelength is between 200-280 nm, and this feature has a definite effect on microorganisms like yeast and mold, and bacteria [14]. UV lights are largely adsorbed by microorganism DNA and block DNA transcription and bond translation in the same DNA strand via adjacent pyrimidine bases [15]. The National Advisory Board on Microbiological Criteria for Food Department of Agriculture of the USA stated that preservation by non-thermal technologies, including ultraviolet light, provide scientific parameters for the pasteurization of juices. This was a 5 log reduction of the most resistant microorganism of threatening to public health [16; 17]. UV radiation was proven to be a safe method used in the pasteurization of juices by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [18] and The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The effectiveness of UV light in apple, grape, cranberry, and grape juice and orange juice has also been demonstrated by various studies [15; 19]. Ultrasound processing (US) is one of the non-thermal techniques used to preserve foods where the thermal coefficients affect the nutritional value of food products like fruit juices. Ultrasound processes have shown that they have a positive effect on food manufacturing in recent years. They have also been reported to inhibit microorganisms and enzymes [20; 21; 22].