PROVITAMIN A (ALPHA‐CAROTENE, BETA‐CAROTENE AND BETA‐CRYPTOXANTHIN) AND ASCORBIC ACID CONTENT OF JAPANESE AND AMERICAN PERSIMMONS

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Abstract
Provitamin A (alpha‐carotene, beta‐carotene and beta‐cryptoxanthin) and ascorbic acid were determined in 14 cultivars of Japanese persimmons (Diospyros kaki) and one American persimmon (D. virginiana). The study included 14 varieties grown at the USDA Persimmon test plot at the Southeastern Fruit and Nut Tree Laboratory, Byron, GA and one commercial variety, Hachiya, produced in California and purchased locally. After saponification, carotenoids were extracted with hexane and quantitated by a reverse‐phase HPLC system using a Zorbax ODS column and an isocratic solvent system of acetonitrile, methylene chloride and methanol (350:150:1). The total and reduced ascorbic acid were determined using AOAC methods. Variation in carotenoid content and carotenoid profiles was noted among the cultivars. The provitamin A activity ranged from 17 RE/100 g in Aizumi Shiraza to 120 RE/100 g in Hana Gosho. Beta‐carotene was the predominate provitamin A isomer in 11 of the 15 cultivars with beta‐cryptoxanthin predominate in the rest. Total ascorbic acid ranged from 35 mg/100 g in Hachiya to 218 mg/100 g in Fuyu. Mean provitamin A (RE/100 g) and ascorbic acid (mg/100 g) levels were higher in nonastringent persimmons compared to astringent persimmons (p < 0.0001). The data indicate that the Japanese persimmon is a good source of provitamin A activity and an excellent source of ascorbic acid.