How do I select persimmons?
Hachiyas should be deep orange without any green (except at the stem) or yellow showing. They may occasionally have dark spots caused by sunburn, which is fine unless the flesh is sunken at those spots. There shouldn't be any breaks in the skin, but scarring caused by rubbing against tree branches during harvesting is harmless. When ripe, they should feel squishy, like a water balloon.
Handle soft, ripe Hachiyas carefully to avoid breaking the skin, and keep refrigerated. Use them as soon as possible, within a few days at most. Unripe Hachiya persimmons can be ripened further by keeping them at room temperature for a week or more. To accelerate ripening, put them in a bag with a banana or an apple.
When selecting Fuyu persimmons, look for ones that are yellow-orange in color and firm to the touch. Fuyus will stay firm for two or three weeks at room temperature. Eventually, after about three weeks, they will soften somewhat like the Hachiya. At this stage, some people feel the Fuyu's sweetness reaches its peak. Their crispness can be prolonged by refrigeration if the temperature remains close to freezing (32°F) but once the fruit is returned to room temperature, it will soften. Surprisingly, persimmons stored at normal refrigerator temperature, about 40°F, will actually deteriorate faster than if stored at room temperature (55°F.) Even though, Fuyus look heartier than Hachiyas, they can also bruise easily. These bruises will not show externally, so they should be handled with care. Fuyus are ethylene sensitive and should not be stored near ethylene-producing fruit such as apples or bananas, when ripe.
How do I store persimmons?
Mature, hard astringent persimmons can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. Non-astringent varieties have short shelf life and can be stored for only a few days at room temperature.
What is the nutritional information for a persimmon?
Serving size: 168g
Calories 118
% Total Daily intake
Total fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 31g 24%
- Sugars 21g
- Dietry Fibre 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 70%
Vitamin C 20%
What are the health benefits of Persimmons?
The fruit is low in calories (provides 70 cal/100g) and fats but is rich source of dietary fibre.
Persimmons contain many health benefiting phyto-nutrients flavonoid poly-phenolic anti-oxidants like catechins and gallocatechins as well as important anti-tumor compound betulinic acid. Catechins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic (prevents bleeding from small blood vessels) properties.
Fresh permissions contain anti-oxidant compounds like vitamin-A, beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin. These compounds functions as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
Zeaxanthin, an important dietary carotenoid, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions; thus, helps prevent "Age related macular disease"(ARMD) in the elderly.
The fruits are also very good source of vitamin-C, another powerful antioxidant. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
The fruit is good in many valuable B-complex vitamins such as folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and thiamin. These vitamins acts as co-factors for numerous metabolic enzymatic functions in the body.
Fresh 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 required for the production of red blood cells.