The pomegranate butterfly, Virachola livia (Klug), is one of the most important pests in Egypt affects the quantity and quality of fruits. At the end of the season, 20 healthy fruits and 20 infested fruits were collected from Manfaloty, Higazy and Araby cultivars to determine the effect of infestation on some chemical compositions of pomegranate fruits (juice and peels). Results showed that the infestation of pomegranate butterfly reduced the percentage of total soluble solids (14.73, 13.93 and 13.90%), TSS/acidity ratio (12.42, 11.71 and 8.49%), total sugars (12.92, 12.48 and 12.34%) and total reducing sugars (11.32, 11.03 and 10.33%) and caused a significant increase of total titratable acidity (1.19,1.39 and 1.54) in the infested fruits compared to the healthy fruits TSS (16.43, 16.33 and 14.37%), TSS/acidity ratio (14.41, 14.24 and 10.97%), TS (14.88, 14.62 and 13.42%) and TRS (14.13, 13.23 and 11.19%) and TTA (1.13, 1.26 and 1.35) of Mnafaloty, Higazy and Araby cultivars, respectively. In addition, the infestation of this pest also affects the chemical composition of pomegranate peels which reduced the percentage of moisture (72.96, 65.53 and 61.78%), protein (4.52, 4.07 and 3.62%), Potassium (12.70, 10.72 and 10.01 g/kg) and caused a significant increase in total carbohydrates (28.89, 27.27 and 12.93%), Calcium (3.26, 3.70 and 3.95 g/kg) and pH values (3.87, 3.90 and 4.19) in the infested fruits compared to the healthy fruits moisture (74.53, 67.08 and 62.76%), protein (4.93, 4.28 and 4.91%), potassium (15.92, 13.16 and 12.21g/kg), total carbohydrates (22.37, 25.51 and 12.21%), Calcium (2.59, 2.54 and 3.21g/kg) and pH values (4.09, 3.99 and 4.46). These results show that the pomegranate butterfly infestation affects the chemical composition of fruits and decreased the economic importance of pomegranate. Therefore, an integrated control program must be developed for this pest to improve the quality and quantity of pomegranate fruits and to reduce its damage to the crop.

Keywords: Pomegranate, Virachola livia, chemical composition, cultivars