Functional and Statistical Assessment of Cakes Enriched With Pomegranate Peel and Flower Powders

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of pomegranate peel (PP) and pomegranate flower (PF) powders as partial flour substitutes on the physical, color, and phenolic characteristics of cakes, and explored the interactions among these variables using statistical modeling approaches. Cakes were prepared with 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% substitution levels, and their volume, density, specific volume, color parameters ( L *, a *, b *), total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AA) were determined. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and multiple linear regression were applied to identify factors associated with phenolic responses. PP, characterized by its higher phenolic load and fiber content, resulted in darker and denser cake structures, whereas PF produced lighter and more homogeneous ones. PP‐enriched cakes showed a considerably greater increase in TPC and AA compared with PF, with enhancements of approximately sixfold and fifteenfold, respectively. PCA indicated distinct grouping between PP and PF formulations, suggesting differences in structural and compositional behavior. Regression analysis further suggested that color attributes were influential predictors of phenolic variability across samples. Overall, these findings suggest that pomegranate by‐products may act as natural ingredients that influence both structural and phenolic properties in cake systems. In particular, the comparatively stronger functional contribution of PP indicates its potential applicability in clean‐label, phenolic‐rich bakery products.