Phenolic and antioxidant diversity among persimmon (Diospyrus kaki L.) genotypes in Turkey

The amount of research on the healthy benefits of fruits has increased in recent years. The objective of the present study is to determine the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of 18 selected persimmon genotypes. The genotypes were established in a collection parcel at the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute, Samsun, Turkey. The beta-carotene bleaching method was used to determine antioxidant activity and the Folin-Ciocalteau colorimetric method to determine total phenolics in persimmon fruits. The total phenolic content in fruits, estimated as gallic acid equivalents, ranged from 15.7 mg/g dry weight for 08 TH 12 to 42.3 mg/g gallic acid equivalent for the 08 TH 10 genotype. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in 08 TH 10 as 91.6%, while the lowest was in 14 TH 01 (51.7%), respectively. The antioxidant activities of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene were 93.4% and 91.8%, respectively. A low correlation (R=0.711) was obtained between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity among genotypes. The results indicate that antioxidant activity in persimmon fruits is strongly affected by genotype.