Manufacturing of Western-style Persimmon Confectionery by Using the Chemical Reactivity of Soluble Persimmon Tannins

Abstract

We manufactured Western-style persimmon jelly-like confectionery, using soy milk and persimmon paste, to examine the characteristics of Western-style persimmon confectionery prepared from local ingredients, and to make use of the reactivity between soluble persimmon tannin and protein materials. The soy milk was combined with astringent persimmon paste or persimmon paste from which the astringency had been removed. The taste, quality, physical properties, and soluble tannin contents of the two types of confectionery were compared. The confectionery prepared with non-astringent persimmon paste showed an unappealing color and poor texture, whereas that prepared with the astringent paste showed a good color, good texture, and good sensory evaluation. In addition, the confectionery prepared with astringent persimmon paste showed no syneresis (liquid separation from the gel), which is a problem for this type of product. These results suggest that mixing astringent persimmon paste with soy milk would make it possible to manufacture high-quality Western-style persimmon confectionery.