Upcycling Persimmons

The Fuyu4u team working on their product

Otago University Food Science students Grace, Kate, Lisa, and Raudhah, also known as ‘Fuyu4u,’ were tasked to create a product from TAG3 persimmons as their project for their ‘new product development’ course (FOSC311). TAG3 are persimmons that, despite being safe to eat, are rejected due to the formation of small black spots on the skin. Currently these surplus fruits are used as stockfeed. However, the group’s sponsor believes in a better future for these fruits to do justice to the time and energy put into producing them. This is where the idea of an upcycled food product was born. The Fuyu4u team formulated a delicious shelf stable product so that consumers can enjoy persimmons all year round.

The team were able to showcase their product at Food Waste Innovation’s ‘Upcycled Food Dining Experience’ earlier in the year, where the talented chefs from Everybody Eats incorporated it into the dessert course.