Preparation and Quality Evaluation of Functional Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) Juice for Diabetic Patients.

Abstract Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) a delicious fruit belongs to Rahmanaceae family. It is a climacteric fruit which is successfully grown in all regions of the world. Persimmon a perishable fruit which is consumed in both fresh and processed forms. It is a rich source of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds such as protein, vitamins, minerals, tannin, flavonoids and carotenoids. The current study was planned to investigate the antidiabetic potential of low calorie persimmon juice under different intervals of time. For this objective persimmon pulp was separated from peel and then it was analyzed for quality parameters. After chemical analysis persimmon pulp revealed that crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, total phenolic, microbiological contents, calcium, and magnesium were 0.56±0.05%, 0.16±0.02%, 3.85±0.05, 12.41±0.39GAE/g, 4.60±0.26log10 CFU/g, 7.5±0.02mg, 156.5±0.11mg and 8.83±0.03mg, respectively. Persimmon juice was prepared by adding various levels of persimmon pulp. The results showed that the persimmon juice contained a lot of antidiabetic activity. It is concluded that low calorie persimmon juice would be appropriate choice for diabetic patients. Keywords: Persimmon fruit composition; bioactive compounds; persimmon juice; antidiabetic potential.