Il kaki mela is a variety of persimmon (Diospyros kaki) which solves the problem of those who often have difficulty in approaching the fruit of persimmon due to its soft consistency after amalgamation (ripening with browning of the pulp).
Even for those who have no problems with this kind of consistency, the fact remains that the common varieties of persimmon have a fruit that is not easily manageable, in fact it is not possible to eat it while walking like a banana or carry it in a bag as if it were an apple, often a teaspoon and certainly a source of water is needed to clean up after its consumption.
Like the rest of the khaki varieties, the apple kaki or vanilla kaki is a variety originally from southern China and nowadays widespread almost everywhere.
The fruit is a tasty, sugary, exquisite berry once ripe but far from pleasant if bitten prematurely: few fruits can in fact be as dry and astringent as an unripe persimmon.
In any case, the apple kaki, easy to plant and cultivate due to its resistance to winter cold, has a firm and crunchy pulp even when fully ripe, while slightly losing something in terms of taste and sweetness.
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The anticancer properties of apple kaki
The kaki apple, often more consumed as a dessert than a real fruit, it actually is an exceptionally beneficial food, ideal for the time of year in which it matures, between autumn and winter, when the need to protect oneself from the weakening of the immune system given by the cold and humidity are urgent.
First of all the apple kaki is very rich in carotenoids, both alpha-carotene and beta-carotene but not only, we also find beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanin, the latter very important for the health of the ocular retina, being the first component.
These carotenoids are important for the protection of DNA from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. The kaki apple also has an excellent beneficial effect on blood cells thanks to the abundance of amirine, tryptoterpenes that are biosynthesized in various acid oils; and of ursolic acid, another important triterpene with the ability to inhibit some abnormal cellular processes that are precursors of genetic mutations and tumor forms, inducing a kind of preventive suicide in the abnormal cells.
To this is added betulinic acid, also an anticangerogenic pentacyclic triterpene, antiproliferative especially in respect of melanoma and various types of neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, sacroma, leukemia and carcinoma of the ovaries.
Various studies have shown that the flavonoid fisetin, present in apple kaki, is an excellent aid in the prevention ofl colon and breast cancer.
The phytochemistry of apple persimmon
Coming out of biochemistry in the strict sense, we know that in more general terms the kaki apple, in addition to protecting the body from various types of tumor and mutagenic mechanisms, has discrete laxative properties, making it an ideal fruit for those with constipation problems due to the change of season.
It is also considered a food hepatoprotective and a very caloric food, indicated to provide a good dose of energy between main meals without filling the stomach; and that makes it a snack ideal for those who want to lose weight or for those who play sports during the autumn-winter period.
In fact, sportsmen find a highly remineralizing fruit in apple kakiand, satiating and rehydrating.
Among the phytonutrients not yet ciated in our lists are also the Vitamin C, which in apple persimmons is second only to the group of vitamin A in percentage; excellent amounts of manganese, which makes it a fruit great for skin protection; dietary fiber and various catechins, excellent as anti-inflammatories; lutein and lycopene.
Although it is low in fat, abounds in fructose, which must set us a limit and prevent us from binging.
