Comparison of sensory and compositions of five selected persimmon cultivars (Diospyros kaki L.) and correlations between chemical components and processing characteristics

Persimmon is one of the most popular and valuable fruits in markets because of its distinguished flavor as well as its significant benefits to health. The present study systematically compared the sensory characteristics and chemical compositions of five commercial persimmon fruits, and the correlations between chemical components and processing characteristics were also included. Our results showed that obvious differences in aroma and taste were found among the cultivars. Likewise, the contents of chemical components including sugar, total phenol, beta-carotene and ascorbic acid, varied significantly (p < 0.05) across different persimmon cultivars. The processing characteristics of persimmon fruit closely correlated with the chemical compositions. Pectin (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) and total phenol (r = 0.576, p < 0.05) were found to enhance the viscosity of persimmon pulp, and the colour of persimmon powder was greatly influenced by beta-carotene, ascorbic acid and sugar contents (r = 0.823, -0.729 and -0.685, p < 0.01, respectively). Powder recovery of persimmon was positively correlated with pectin content (r = 0.503, p < 0.05) and negatively related to total sugar content (r = -0.668, p < 0.01). Pectin content exerted positive effect (r = 0.719, p < 0.01) on hygroscopicity of persimmon powder, and the powder solubility showed a positive correlation to sugar and a negative relationship to pectin contents (r = 0.662 and -0.716, p < 0.01, respectively). In addition, a positive correlation (r = 0.642, p < 0.01) of the content of ascorbic acid to phenolic retention was also observed.