What other articles can be done for persimmon deep processing?

With its golden and plump flesh and its own pleasing meaning, persimmons, an agricultural product native to China with a history of 3,000 years of cultivation and consumption, have become the "top stream" in the fruit world this autumn, and persimmon drinks such as persimmon tea and persimmon ice have recently ranked among the "must-drink lists"
of many new tea brands.
However, while persimmons are "turning red", we must also see that the pain points of the industry such as short supply period, high loss and low profit need to be solved
urgently.
Deep processing has opened a window to break the pain points of the industry, in addition to persimmon pulp, more and more persimmon mushrooms, jams and other products have also come out, and are used in
persimmon tea and other products.
In the future, what the industry needs to think about is how to accelerate the development of persimmon deep processing industry and reach a higher level.

Persimmon deep-processed products are not abundant

Persimmons generally ripen from September to October, and their colors are bright, and the orange-red color reflects the unique harvest feeling of
autumn.
Guangxi, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, etc.
are China's famous "persimmon producing provinces", among which the more well-known are chicken heart persimmon in Jingyang, Shaanxi, sharp persimmon in Fuping, fire crystal persimmon in Lintong and ox heart persimmon in Henan Shuchi
.
According to the brain data of Yunguo Industry, from August last year to August this year, the national wholesale market price of persimmons increased from 4.
76 yuan per kilogram to 6.
2 yuan, an increase of 30.
25%.

The "2021 Persimmon Industry Development Report" shows that persimmons in China are mainly sold fresh, and common persimmon deep-processed products are mainly persimmon cakes and persimmon vinegar produced by a small number of enterprises, while persimmon jam and fruit puree products are less
.
In general, persimmon deep-processed products are not abundant
.
At present, it is difficult to see persimmon drinks that use persimmons as raw materials and can be directly drunk through processing, and most of the popular persimmon-flavored tea drinks are also made of
persimmon puree.
Chen Taoliang, head of the original flavor persimmon planting professional cooperative in Fuping County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province, said that ninety percent of local persimmons are used to process persimmon cakes, and they have also tried to produce persimmon tea, persimmon vinegar, persimmon wine, persimmon pastries and other products, but sales are not good
.

Since 2021, tea companies have been eyeing persimmons
.
The new tea brand Yecuishan launched a persimmon tea drink called "Xi Persimmon Lianlian" last year, setting a record
of more than 5,000 cups sold in a single day.
This year, persimmons have been blowing all over the tea industry
.
According to incomplete statistics, this year, more than 10 mainstream tea brands, including Heytea and Naixue's tea, have launched persimmon tea, with prices ranging from
10 yuan to 20 yuan.
Tea brands such as Tsubaki, Fu Xiaotao, Sweet Club, and Jacques Yasi have launched a variety of persimmon products
.

Liu Zhenwen, the person in charge of Guangdong Heyuan Lechi Catering Service Co.
, Ltd.
, has more than 6 years of experience in tea research and development, mainly providing customers with tea technical training or technical support
.
Its R&D team began to use persimmons as raw materials for tea research and development last year, and the products were also pushed to some customers, but the market feedback at that time was average
.

"We develop products in two situations, one is what is popular in the market, we do it; The second is to carry out research and development and make formulas before the market becomes popular, but rarely sell
to various stores.
According to Liu Zhenwen, the customers they serve are mostly small tea brands or individual merchants, with limited volume, and when large brands do not promote a certain tea beverage category, it is difficult to rely on scattered individuals to make products
.

Therefore, this year, after leading tea brands such as Heytea and Naixue's tea successively launched persimmon products, Liu Zhenwen's team responded quickly, followed up the research and development of persimmon drinks, and launched a variety of persimmon-based tea drinks such as "persimmon manna", which received a lot of praise
from consumers.
Taking persimmon nectar as an example, Liu Zhenwen introduced that persimmons themselves have a strong aroma and flavor, and after crushing treatment, they can not only release the original flavor of persimmons, but also retain the crunchy taste of the original persimmon soft seeds, with the properties of natural ingredients, with a suitable tea base, you can achieve the effect
of sweetness but not greasy.

When talking about why persimmon products have only been developed in the past two years, Liu Zhenwen said, "All the fresh fruits that can be made in the tea market are done, so persimmons are vigorously promoted
as a seasonal product.
" ”

In Liu Zhenwen's view, it is actually the "involution"
of the industry.
After the public fruits have been used, the industry will focus on those fruits that have not yet been developed, and use some new fruits to attract consumers
.
"Persimmons may be followed by other fruits, even niche ones, like last year's orange
.
Every time a new fruit appears in the tea market, there is no need to make a fuss, because there are so many fruits, but the demand is constantly changing
.
Liu Zhenwen said
.

Shaanxi persimmons have become "fragrant"

Just like the sweet and salty battle between many foods in the north and south, the difference between soft and crunchy divides persimmon consumers into two camps
.
However, on the operating table of persimmon drinks, there is no place for crispy persimmons, only soft persimmons are suitable for making drinks
.
"Crispy persimmons have no flavor, they can't be pressed out of juice, and some of them will be more astringent
.
" Liu Zhenwen said that there are no special requirements for persimmon varieties, as long as they are soft
.
However, judging from the production areas of persimmons disclosed by various brands this year, persimmons in Shaanxi have become "fragrant"
.

Specialty drink chain brand Jordan Road uses Shaanxi fire crystal persimmons, and its research and development director Liang Jianbin once said that this persimmon has a high aroma, is easy to identify, and will automatically deastringent when ripe, with very low or no
astringency.

In fact, Lintong's fire crystal persimmon has exploded as early as 2019
.
"Before 2019, I sold at most three to five thousand boxes a year, and after the fire crystal persimmon became popular, my sales here doubled several times, and my peers also sold well
.
Many group buying and offline supermarkets have also begun to order fire crystal persimmons
.
Qin Weijiang, the owner of a fruit online store, said
.

Qin Weijiang said that at present, fire crystal persimmon is the highest selling product in the store, with monthly sales of more than 3,000 boxes
.
"Since the beginning of this year, many customers who have opened dessert shops and milk tea shops have placed orders in the store, at first they are all box by box trial purchase, and then ten boxes and eight boxes are bought
.
" Qin Weijiang said that now he can sell hundreds of boxes
a day.

Despite the large shipments, Qin Weijiang said that the profit of fire crystal persimmons is actually not high
.
"Although the purchase price of fire crystal persimmons is about 1.
5 yuan per catty, the cost has actually exceeded 2 yuan
earlier.
Because fire crystal persimmons are very soft, they are easy to break when touched, and the loss is high, and if you pick them too carefully, the fruit farmers will not dry
.
”

In addition, warehousing and packaging are also a large cost
.
"In my own online store, 3 pounds of persimmons are sold for 29.
8 yuan, and after the first discount and two pieces minus 5 yuan, it is actually good to be able to sell for 25 yuan
.
The current delivery cost is about 18 yuan per box, and the gross profit is between
5-10 yuan.
Qin Weijiang said that fire crystal persimmons are seasonal fruits that are sold for no more than 5 months a year, so the income brought is relatively limited
.
Fire crystal persimmons are generally ripe and marketed from the end of September to October, picked before and after frost, and then placed in cold storage for low temperature preservation, which can generally be sold until about
the Spring Festival.
”

Break the pain points of the industry and develop more new products

Persimmons have high requirements for transportation and storage conditions, and they will rot to pieces if they are careless, so how to ensure the quality of raw materials? Heytea said that in order to ensure the quality of persimmons, they carry out full-link quality control from planting, picking, transportation and other links, do not rush to pick early, do not pick early, ensure the hanging time of the fruits, and the fresh persimmons are directly transported from the production area to the warehouse
after picking.
In order to preserve the original flavor of fresh persimmons, Heytea processes persimmons in stores through six processes
: selection, washing, stemming, cutting in half, removing seeds from meat petals, and peeling and extracting meat.

It is understood that some manufacturers have begun to make persimmon puree
.
After some big brands launched persimmon drinks this year, the corresponding market demand was born, and manufacturers also heard
the sound.

Liu Zhenwen revealed that a cooperative supplier has sent persimmon pulp, and the raw pulp should be transported in the cold chain, and after the trial, they feel that the reduction and freshness are relatively high
.
"If persimmon drinks can continue to be popular, the processed raw pulp should be able to reverse this time-limited disadvantage of persimmons in season
.
"

Liu Zhenwen believes that in the case of building a pulp production line and forming a persimmon industry chain, the sustainability of persimmon drinks itself is very strong
.
Just like oranges, they are no longer limited by the seasons, and there will be supply
as long as there is demand.
"I don't think persimmon-related products will disappear from the market or become popular after they become popular, since big brands will choose to make raw pulp, it means that there is a certain degree of
market survival.
" Liu Zhenwen said
.

In addition to persimmon puree, more and more persimmon mushrooms, jams and other products have also come out
.
Persimmon jam at room temperature can also be used in tea making, and in seasons when there are no fresh persimmons, high-end tea can be made from low-cost jam raw materials
.
According to the data of a brand of persimmon mushrooms, the cost of persimmon thick pulp for a single cup of tea (about 40 grams of thick pulp) is only 1.
16 yuan
.

There are not many persimmons hanging from the branches now, and the season of persimmons is about to pass
.
If consumers' enthusiasm for persimmon tea is unsustainable, even with persimmon pulp and jam, its living space is limited
.
In addition, from the perspective of planting, persimmon trees in many places lack management and belong to a state of laissez-faire growth, and problems such as aging and threat of pests and diseases are also prominent
.

Qin Weijiang said: "Over the years, the fruits we have harvested
have basically been picked from wild persimmon trees by families.
In this way, the harvest is particularly tiring, and the commodity rate is also very low, which is not conducive to long-term development
.
I hope that in the future, Lintong can cultivate more new saplings and new orchards
.
This is both easy to pick and manage
.
”

(Han Songyan comprehensive arrangement)

China Food News(November 07, 2022, Edition 02)

(Editor: Gao Jiaodi).