Abstract: Solvent extraction was used to extract polyphenols from persimmon fruits in this study. Among three organic solvent investigated, ethanol was found to be the most suitable solvent for extracting total polyphenols and condensed polyphenols from persimmon fruits. The following investigations were carried out to explore the effects of ethanol concentration, material-to-liquid ratio, extraction time and extraction temperature on total polyphenol yield and to optimize the four process conditions by one-factor-at-a-time and orthogonal array design methods. Ethanol concentration was identified as the most important factor that affects total polyphenol yield followed by material-to-liquid ratio, extraction time and extraction temperature. The optimal extraction conditions for achieving both higher yields of total polyphenols and condensed polyphenols from persimmon fruits were ethanol concentration of 90%, material-to-liquid ratio of 1:40, extraction time of 30 min and extraction temperature of 40 ℃. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the extraction rate of total polyphenols was up to 2.061%.

Key words: persimmon, total polyphenols, condensed polyphenols, extraction