The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The most widely cultivated of these is the Asian or Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki. Diospyros is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-persimmon species of the genus are grown for ebony timber.

In 2018, China produced about two-thirds of the world's total of persimmons. Like the tomato, persimmons are not commonly considered to be berries, but morphologically the fruit is in fact a berry.

The reason persimmons can be astringent is because of the soluble tannin contained in fruits. As the tannin coagulates the viscous protein on the surface of our tongues, we feel its astringency.

The effects of two different freezing temperatures (− 20 °C and − 80 °C) on the astringency trait of persimmon fruits during 15 to 60 days of storage were investigated. Storage at − 20 °C and − 80 °C temperatures up to 60 days has been found to be an effective method to remove the astringency of persimmon fruits.

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