Persimmon
Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb) is the name of the deciduous tree as well as of its fruit. The trees may reach a height of 5-18 metres, can live for hundreds of years and are usually erect with dark-green leathery leaves. The yellow-red to bright-red fruit is a berry; it matures during fall or later, depending on the cultivar. The flesh of the fruit of many cultivars is astringent (due to a high tannin) content until fully ripe. The fruit then becomes soft, sweet and slightly tangy. Astringency may be removed by exposing fruits to high CO2 levels after harvest. Many cultivars have been selected; some are edible in the crisp firm state, but usually gain their best flavor when allowed to soften after harvest. Picked persimmons may be stored for several weeks to months. “Fuyu” is one of the most important cultivars. Persimmons have high levels of vitamin C, carotenoids, dietary fiber, iron and other minerals.
Persimmons can be eaten fresh, dried or cooked. When eaten fresh, they are usually consumed whole, like apples, in bite-size slices or may be peeled. China is the largest producer (about 90%) of persimmons in the world. “Sharon fruit” is an Israeli marketing name for a seedless and sweet local cultivar.
Condensed tannins from persimmon pulp may inhibit snake poisons. Unripened persimmons contain indigestible tannins that can form a hard, painful, gluey coagulum, a diospyrobezoar, which is of woody consistency. Diospyrobezoars may cause epidemics in regions where persimmons are grown.
The North America persimmon species is Diospyros virginiana L., which is sometimes used as a rootstock
for D. kaki.
Major Persimmon pests in the Middle East
REFERENCES
George, A.P. and Redpath, S. 2008. Health and medicinal benefits of persimmon fruit: a review. Advances in Horticultural Science 22: 244-249.
Kitagawa, H. and Glucina, P.G. 1984. Persimmon Culture in New Zealand. DSIR Science Information Publishing Centre, Wellington, New Zealand, pp. 74.
Li, C., Zou, B., Dong, X., Zhang, Y. and Du, J. 2013. Current progress on structure analysis and health benefits of persimmon tannin. Acta Horticulturae 996: 455-466.
Pesis, E., Levi, A. and Ben-Arie, R. 1988. Role of acetaldehyde production in the removal of astringency from persimmon fruits under various modified atmospheres. Journal of Food Science 53: 153-156.
Proceedings of the I-V international Persimmon Symposia. Acta Horticulturae volumes 436; 601; 883; 996.
Testoni A. 2002. Post-harvest and processing of persimmon fruit. In: Bellini E. (ed.) and Giordani E. (ed.). First Mediterranean symposium on persimmon. Zaragoza. Ciheam 2002: 53-70.
Persimmons Fuyu (5 lbs) _ NineLife - Israel