Traditionally persimmons have been consumed over-ripened to avoid astringency perception. However, the introduction of new technology that removes astringency while preserving fruit firmness has allowed the commercialization of “ready-to-eat crisp” fruits. Several studies have evaluated the nutritional composition of over-ripened persimmons and have claimed that they are a good source of primary and secondary metabolites that are favourable for human health. Yet very little is known about the nutritional composition of persimmons in the “ready-to-eat crisp” stage. In this context, we determined the main nutritional compounds in ten popular persimmon cultivars, including astringent cultivars (“Rojo Brillante”, “Tone Wase”, “Giboshi”, “Kaki Tipo”, “Aizumishirazu-A”, “Giombo”, “Hachiya”) and non-astringent cultivars (“O’gosho”, “Hana Fuyu” and “Jiro”). To this end, fruits were harvested when their texture was firm, and soluble polyphenols content, total antioxidant capacity and main sugars, organic acids and carotenoids were evaluated. In those astringent cultivars at harvest, the changes in nutritional compounds associated with applying deastringency treatment with high CO 2 concentration were determined. Our results revealed the main sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), organic acids (citric acid, malic acid and succinic) and carotenoids ( β -cryptoxanthin, lutein, violoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and β -carotene) present in the flesh of crisp persimmons. At harvest the content of these metabolites vastly varied among cultivars; astringent cultivars showed higher soluble polyphenols and greater antioxidant capacity, and presented higher contents of sugars and organic acids than non-astringent ones. The deastringency treatment applied to astringent cultivars resulted in a drastic loss of soluble polyphenols and total antioxidant capacity, and induced changes in carotenoids and sugars composition.
Yonemori, K. and Matsushima, J. (1987) Changes in Tannin Cell Morphology with Growth and Development of Japanese Persimmon Fruit. Journal of American Society for Horticultural Science, 112, 818-821.
Santos-Buelga, C. and Scalbert, A. (2000) Proanthocyanidins and Tannin-Like Compounds—Nature, Occurrence, Dietary Intake and Effects on Nutrition and Health. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 80, 1094-1117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(20000515)80:7 3.0.CO;2-1
Giordani, E., Doumett, S., Nin, S. and Del Bubba, M. (2011) Selected Primary and Secondary Metabolites in Fresh Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.): A Review of Analytical Methods and Current Knowledge of Fruit Composition and Health Benefits. Food Research International, 44, 1752-1767. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2011.01.036
Gorinstein, S., Kulasek, G.W., Bartnikowska, E., Leontowicz, M., Zemser, M., Morawiec, M. and Trakhtenberg, S. (2000) The Effects of Diets, Supplemented with Either Whole Persimmon or Phenol-Free Persimmon, on Rats Fed Cholesterol. Food Chemistry, 70, 303-308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(00)00072-8
Gorinstein, S., Leontowicz, H., Leontowicz, M., Jesion, I., Namiesnik, J., Drzewiecki, J., Park, Y.S., Ham, K.S., Giordani, E. and Trakhtenberg, S. (2011) Influence of Two Cultivars of Persimmon on Atherosclerosis Indices in Rats Fed Cholesterol-Containing Diets: Investigation in Vitro and in Vivo. Nutrition, 27, 838-846. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2010.08.015
Rao, A. and Rao, L.G. (2007) Carotenoids and Human Health. Pharmacological Research, 55, 207-216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2007.01.012
Park, Y.S., Jung, S.T., Kang, S.G., Delgado-Licon, E., Ayala, A.L.M., Tapia, M.S., Martín-Belloso, O., Trakhtenberg, S. and Gorinstein, S. (2006) Drying of Persimmons (Diospyros kaki L.) and the Following Changes in the Studied Bioactive Compounds and the Total Radical Scavenging Activities. Food Science and Technology, 39, 748-755. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2005.05.014
Veberic, R., Jurhar, J., Mikulic-Petkovsek, M., Stampar, F. and Schmitzer, V. (2010) Comparative Study of Primary and Secondary Metabolites in 11 Cultivars of Persimmon Fruit (Diospyros kaki L.). Food Chemistry, 119, 477-483. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.06.044
Del Bubba, M., Giordani, E., Pippucci, L., Cincinelli, A., Checchini, L. and Galvan, P. (2009) Changes in Tannins, Ascorbic Acid and Sugar Content in Astringent Persimmons during On-Tree Growth and Ripening and in Response to Different Postharvest Treatments. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 22, 668-677. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2009.02.015
Zhou, C., Zhao, D., Sheng, Y., Tao, J. and Yang, Y. (2011) Carotenoids in Fruits of Different Persimmon Cultivars. Molecules, 16, 624-636. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules16010624
Salvador, A., Arnal, L., Monterde, A. and Cuquerella, J. (2004) Reduction of Chilling Injury Symptoms in Persimmon Fruit cv. “Rojo Brillante” by 1-MCP. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 33, 285-291. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2004.03.005
Taira, S. (1995) Astringency in Persimmon. In: Linskens, H. and Jackson, J., Eds., Fruit Analysis, Springer Berlin, Heidelberg, 97-110.
Novillo, P., Salvador, A., Magalhaes, T. and Besada, C. (2014) Deastringency Treatment with CO2 Induces Oxidative Stress in Persimmon Fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 92, 16-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2013.12.019
Koca, N., Burdurlu, H.S. and Karadeniz, F. (2007) Kinetics of Colour Changes in Dehydrated Carrots. Journal of Food Engineering, 78, 449-455. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.10.014
Tian, L. and DellaPenna, D. (2001) Characterization of a Second Carotenoid β-Hydroxylase Gene from Arabidopsis and Its Relationship to the LUT1 Locus. Plant Molecular Biology, 47, 379-388. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1011623907959
Wright, K.P. and Kader, A.A. (1997) Effect of Controlled-Atmosphere Storage on the Quality and Carotenoid Content of Sliced Persimmons and Peaches. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 10, 89-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(96)00062-2
Pesis, E. (2005) The Role of the Anaerobic Metabolites, Acetaldehyde and Ethanol, in Fruit Ripening, Enhancement of Fruit Quality and Fruit Deterioration. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 37, 1-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2005.03.001
Tarascou, I., Souquet, J., Mazauric, J., Carrillo, S., Coq, S., Canon, F., Fulcrand, H. and Cheynier, V. (2010) The Hidden Face of Food Phenolic Composition. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 501, 16-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2010.03.018
Matsuo, T. and Itoo, S. (1982) A Model Experiment for De-Astringency of Persimmon Fruit with High Carbon Dioxide Treatment: In Vitro Gelation of Kaki-Tannin by Reacting with Acetaldehyde. Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, 46, 683-689. http://dx.doi.org/10.1271/bbb1961.46.683
Lyman, B.J. and Green, B. (1990) Oral Astringency: Effects of Repeated Exposure and Interactions with Sweeteners. Chemical Senses, 15, 151-164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/chemse/15.2.151
Siebert, K.J. and Chassy, A.W. (2003) An Alternate Mechanism for the Astringency Sensation of Acids. Food Quality and Preferences, 15, 13-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0950-3293(02)00221-5
Suzuki, T., Someya, S., Hu, F. and Tanokura, M. (2005) Comparative Study of Catechin Compositions in Five Japanese Persimmons (Diospyros kaki). Food Chemistry, 93, 149-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.10.017
Gu, H.F., Li, C.M., Xu, Y.J., Hu, W.F., Chen, M.H. and Wan, Q.H. (2008) Structural Features and Antioxidant Activity of Tannin from Persimmon Pulp. Food Research International, 41, 208-217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2007.11.011
Katsube, T., Tabata, H., Ohta, Y., Yamasaki, Y., Anuurad, E., Shiwaku, K. and Yamane, Y. (2004) Screening for Antioxidant Activity in Edible Plant Products: Comparison of Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation Assay, DPPH Radical Scavenging Assay, and Folin-Ciocalteu Assay. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, 2391-2396. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf035372g
Ittah, Y. (1993) Sugar Content Changes in Persimmon Fruits (Diospyros kaki L.) during Artificial Ripening with CO2: A Possible Connection to Deastringency Mechanisms. Food Chemistry, 48, 25-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(93)90216-3
Chen, J.L., Ni, H.X., Sun, J.R. and Cheng, D.F. (2003) Effects of Major Secondary Chemicals of Wheat Plants on Enzyme Activity in Sitobion avenae. Acta Entomologica Sinica, 46, 144-149.
Borsani, J., Budde, C.O., Porrini, L., Lauxmann, M.A., Lombardo, V.A., Murray, R., Andreo, C.S., Drincovich, M.F. and Lara, M.V. (2009) Carbon Metabolism of Peach Fruit after Harvest: Changes in Enzymes Involved in Organic Acid and Sugar Level Modifications. Journal of Experimental Botany, 60, 1823-1837. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erp055
Lara, M.V., Budde, C.O., Porrini, L., Borsani, J., Murray, R., Andreo, C.S. and Drincovich, M.F. (2011) Peach (Prunus persica) Fruit Response to Anoxia: Reversible Ripening Delay and Biochemical Changes. Plant and Cell Physiology, 52, 392-403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcq200
Alique, R. and Oliveira, G.S. (1994) Changes in Sugars and Organic Acids in Cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) Fruit under Controlled Atmosphere Storage. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 42, 799-803. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf00039a040
Holcroft, D.M. and Kader, A.A. (1999) Controlled Atmosphere-Induced Changes in pH and Organic Acid Metabolism May Affect Color of Stored Strawberry Fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 17, 19-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(99)00023-X
Daood, H.G., Biacs, P., Czinkotai, B. and Hoschke, Á. (1992) Chromatographic Investigation of Carotenoids, Sugars and Organic Acids from Diospyros kaki Fruits. Food Chemistry, 45, 151-155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(92)90027-Y
De Ancos, B., González, E.M. and Cano, M.P. (2000) Ellagic Acid, Vitamin C, and Total Phenolic Contents and Radical Scavenging Capacity Affected by Freezing and Frozen Storage in Raspberry Fruit. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48, 4565-4570. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf0001684
Homnava, A., Payne, J., Koehler, P. and Eitenmiller, R. (1990) Provitamin a (Alpha-Carotene, Beta-Carotene and Beta-Cryptoxanthin) and Ascorbic Acid Content of Japanese and American Persimmons. Journal of Food Quality, 13, 85-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4557.1990.tb00009.x
Kondo, S., Yoshikawa, H. and Katayama, R. (2004) Antioxidant Activity in Astringent and Non-Astringent Persimmons. Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology, 79, 390-394.
Plaza, L., Colina, C., de Ancos, B., Sánchez-Moreno, C. and Cano, M.P. (2012) Influence of Ripening and Astringency on Carotenoid Content of High-Pressure Treated Persimmon Fruit (Diospyros kaki L.). Food Chemistry, 130, 591-597. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.07.080