Astringent and non-astringent persimmon cremogenates made with different thickeners

Abstract

Due to the surplus in the production of ‘Rojo Brillante’ persimmon in Spain, there is great interest in developing products made from this fruit that can take full advantage of production peaks. However, heat treatment can reverse the astringency, limiting the diversity of products derived from persimmon. The aim of this study was to characterise physicochemically astringent and non-astringent persimmon cremogenates subjected to pasteurisation and elaborated with different thickeners (guar gum, sodium alginate and pectin). Several aspects were specifically analysed: the evolution during the storage of the soluble solid content, water, total phenols, antioxidant capacity, optical and mechanical properties, as well as the microbiological stability. The sensory acceptability of the selected cremogenates was also evaluated. The results showed that the final colour of the samples depended on the initial level of astringency of the raw material; the non-astringent persimmons were much darker (L* ≈ 40–50) than astringent persimmons (L* ≈ 65–70), and the type of thickener used had no effect and led to no difference. Furthermore, the cremogenate was harder (F ≈ 20–120 N) when astringent persimmons were used. In astringent cremogenates the thickeners evaluated help in reducing the total phenol content after 3 months of storage in 40% when compared to the control. The heat treatment applied (70 °C, 30 min) did not reverse the astringency, so this type of cremogenate could be a commercial outlet for the waste or surplus of this fruit. In this regard, non-astringent persimmons with pectin would be recommended for the preparation of cremogenates from this fruit since they were also those that the scored best in the sensory analysis.