Production of Stevia-Based Persimmon Fruit Leather by Microwave Oven and Its Optimization With Response Surface Methodolog.

The consumer preference for low-calorie and nutritious foods has urged the attention of researchers and food designers to develop food products with alternative organic ingredients. For the first time, persimmon is successfully developed into fruit leather (pestil) using a non-caloric stevia sweetener. The study started with the production of persimmon () leather, initially evaluating the compatibility of non-caloric stevia ( ) sweetener with hydrocolloids (corn starch, pectin, and guar gum) by the hot air oven method, in which guar gum exhibited superior flexibility.