Abstract: Objective: To reveal the change regularity of antioxidant activity and material basis in persimmon vinegar during brewing process. Methods: One-step fermentation method was applied for brew vinegar from persimmon pulp. The major change in antioxidant contents and antioxidant activity as well as their correlation were explored. Results: The content change of total polyphenols, total flavonoids and vitamin C exhibited an initial increase and a final decrease during the fermentation process and a slow ascending trend during the aging stage. An obviously positive correlation among the three components was observed (P＜0.01). The total antioxidant activity of persimmon vinegar revealed a rapid increase during fermentation process. Meanwhile, a significantly positive correlation between total antioxidant activity and total acid was also observed (P＜0.01). Moreover, a remarkable positive correlation was also observed between the DPPH radical-scavenging capacity of persimmon vinegar and the contents of total flavonoids, total acid or vitamin C (P＜0.05) and between the hydroxyl radical-scavenging capacity and the content of total polyphenols (P＜0.01). Conclusion: Persimmon vinegar has significant antioxidant activity and its antioxidant activity is attributed to many kinds of components.

Key words: persimmon vinegar, one-step fermentation, antioxidant activity, correlation