Persimmon
Persimmon fruit is a golden yellow, round or oval, flavorful, smooth textured delicacy from far East Asian origin. Its sweet, delicious flesh is packed with several health promoting nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants vital for optimum health.zPersimmon fruit is a golden yellow, round or oval, flavorful, smooth textured delicacy from far East Asian origin. Its sweet, delicious flesh is packed with several health promoting nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants vital for optimum health.
Persimmon fruit is a golden yellow, round or oval, flavorful, smooth textured delicacy from far East Asian origin. Its sweet, delicious flesh is packed with several health promoting nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants vital for optimum health.
Benefits
- Persimmon fruit is moderately high in calories (provides 70 calories/100 g) but very low in fats. Its smooth textured flesh is a very good source of dietary fiber. 100 g of fresh fruit holds 3.6 g or 9.5% of recommended daily intake of soluble and insoluble fiber.
- Persimmons contain health benefiting flavonoid poly-phenolic anti-oxidants such as catechins and gallocatechins in addition to having an important anti-tumor compound, betulinic acid. Catechins found to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic (prevents bleeding from small blood vessels) properties.
- Some of other anti-oxidant compounds found abundantly in this fruit are vitamin-A, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin. Together, these compounds work as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
- Persimmons are also a very good source of vitamin-C, another powerful antioxidant (especially native Chinese and American persimmons; provide 80% of DRI). Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
- It is good in many valuable B-complex vitamins such as folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), thiamin…etc. These vitamins act as co-factors for numerous metabolic enzymatic functions in the body.
- Fresh and dry Persimmon fruits also contain healthy amounts of minerals like potassium, manganese (15% of DRI), copper (12% of DRI), and phosphorus. Manganese is a co-factor for the enzyme, superoxide dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese, and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.
Other Names
Persimmon, Oriental Persimmon, Japanese Persimmon, Kaki.
References
Source: California Rare Fruit Growers
Source: Nutrition and You