Fruit
The spherical to oval fruit bearing the indented stem and four sepals, can weigh up to 500 grams. The smooth, shiny and thin shell ranges in shade from yellow to red-orange. The slightly lighter fleshed fruits can contain up to eight seeds and may have an astringent taste. With increasing maturity, the fruit softens, similar to a kiwifruit.
The high content of tannin in the still-immature kaki provides a bitter component reminiscent of pear and apricot flavors, which becomes weaker with progressive maturation. The furry taste, caused by the tannins, is often reduced during the ripening process, or by frost. The very high proportion of beta-carotene (provitamin A) makes the kaki fruit nutritionally valuable.
Read more about this topic: Diospyros Kaki
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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