## 3 Results and Discussion  
It is known that bioactive compounds are variable in pomegranate, and generally in plant material, according to genetic factors, different collection stages, pedoclimatic conditions of the sampling sites (growing wild or cultivation), application of agricultural practices, and post-harvest handling [34; 35]. For this investigation, pomegranates of Akko and Wonderful cultivars were grown in the same cultivation area in Southern Italy, under the same pedoclimatic conditions, and using the same agro-techniques. These samples, coming from one of the biggest Italian producers, are representative of the commercial cultivars most widespread and marketed in Italy. Fruits were harvested in different collection periods according to the cultivar maturity but at the same maturity status. pH, TSS, and TAC of both the aqueous extracts (D and PUAE) of Akko and Wonderful cultivar are reported in Table 1.  
One-way ANOVA, analyzing the mean differences of the pH values, showed significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between the cultivars (Akko and Wonderful), but no significant differences are highlighted between the two different extraction methods (D and PUAE) for the same cultivar (Table 2). As regards TSS, one-way ANOVA highlighted significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between D and PUAE extracts for both the cultivars. In particular, D extracts (AK_D and WO_D) showed higher TSS with respect to the corresponding PUAE extracts (AK_PUAE and WO_PUAE). This is likely because the higher boiling temperature of decoction compared to sonication allowed the partial hydrolysis of glucosides and the release of sugar moieties [36]. No significant difference between AK_PUAE and WO_PUAE was observed, probably because the extraction temperature was similarly maintained under control (\(<\)65 \({}^{\circ}\)C). According to previous studies [37], extraction temperature in the range of 60-70 \({}^{\circ}\)C was optimal for the UAE of EA from pomegranate peels. For both the extraction methods the obtained extracts can be considered almost sugar-free if compared with the corresponding pomegranate juice (Akko: TSS = 15.20 \(\pm\) 0.42; Wonderful: TSS = 17.01 \(\pm\) 0.57), as previously studied by the authors [23]. Previous studies have shown that cultivar, maturity stage, and environmental factors could significantly influence the TAC of pomegranate peel extracts [5; 38; 39]. Cyanidin and pelargonidin derivatives are the most abundant anthocyanin pigments isolated from the peels. In particular, cyanidin 3-O-glucose was considered one of the major anthocyanins detected in these by-products [38]. In all the extracts the TAC was slightly lower compared to those reported in literature for other pomegranate cultivars [40] even if the cited authors used methanol as an extraction solvent. One-way ANOVA, analyzing the mean differences of the TAC, showed significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between the cultivars when extracts were obtained by decoction. On the contrary, no significant differences between AK_PUAE and WO_PUAE were observed. Different results were shown for the two cultivars by comparing the two extraction methods (D and PUAE). Figure 1 reports the TPC and the RSA results of the peel aqueous extracts (D and PUAE) belonging to the two cultivars investigated. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Variable** & **ANOVA Data** & **AK_D/AK_PUAE** & **WO_D/WO_PUAE** & **AK_D/** & **AK_PUAE/** \\  & & & & & **WO_D** & **WO_PUAE** \\ \hline pH & F & 7.353 & 8.022 & 89.379 & 84.5 \\  & \(p\) value & 0.113 & 0.105 & 0.011 & 0.012 \\ TSS & F & 105.8 & 25 & 88.2 & 9 \\  & \(p\) value & 0.009 & 0.038 & 0.011 & 0.095 \\ RSA & F & 3.038 & 17.8  
TPC and RSA values were moderately correlated (R\({}^{2}\) = 0.7304). The decoction demonstrated higher TPC compared to the extract obtained by sonication (PUAE) in both cultivars. In fact, one-way ANOVA, analyzing the mean differences of the TPCs, showed significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between the extraction methods (D and PUAE) for both cultivars.