Abstract
The effect of harvest maturity on removal of astringency in Japanese persimmon, ‘Hiratanenashi’ fruits was examined.
Individual fruits were put in a plastic chamber with different concentrations of ethanol solution as the reagent for removal of astringency at 20°C.
The more immature the fruits and the higher the concentration of the reagent for removal of astringency, the faster the decrease in soluble tannin content and the decline in flesh firmness during the treatment.
Ethanol which was taken into the fruits during the treatment was greater as the concentration of the reagent increased, and there was almost no effect of harvest maturity on the amount of ethanol in flesh. Acetaldehyde content in flesh was, however, greater in younger fruits than in mature ones.
These results suggest that the fact that removal of astringency occurred more easily in younger fruits than in more mature ones may be mainly due to more active conversion of ethanol, which was taken into the fruits during the treatment, to acetaldehyde in flesh.
