With their 237 micrograms of retinol equivalent to 100 grams, khaki are among the richest fruits of carotenoids. They contain, in particular, high concentrations of beta-cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.
Carotenoids are yellow-orange plant pigments with antioxidant activity; once introduced with food, some carotenoids (such as Beta-carotene) are converted into retinol (vitamin A) in the intestine.
There are therefore two sources of vitamin A: on the one hand we have the animal (retinol and retinaldehyde), immediately available to the body; on the other hand there is the vegetable one (carotenoids), which must be converted into the active form by the human organism.
For this reason the quantities of vitamin A are measured in retinol equivalents (RE). One RE is equal to 1µg of retinol, which is equivalent to 6µg of β-carotene.
As shown in the figure, thanks to the richness of carotenoids, the persimmon is one of the plant foods with the highest content of retinol equivalent.
Vitamin C content is also good, with 23mg per 100 grams of fruit.
