Kiwi fruit nutrition facts

Kiwi fruit or Chinese gooseberry is one of the delicious fruits with full of promising health promoting phyto-chemicals, vitamins and minerals. This widely recognized, wonderfully unique fruit is native to eastern Chinese "Shaanxi" province. This exotic fruit is also recognized as China’s national fruit.

The kiwifruit plant is a semitropical, deciduous, large woody vine belonging to the family of Actinidiaceae; Genus, Actinidia.  Sceintific name: Actinidia chinensis.

The journey of this humble gooseberry from china mainland to Oceania and thence to worldwide was interesting!  During early years of twentieth century kiwifruit seeds were carried to New Zealand by missionaries where it has become naturalized. From New Zealand, the fruit spread all across the world, and now grown at commercial scale in many European and as far as in California regions in North America

During each season which lasts from September till November, The kiwi vine bears numerous ovals shaped, fuzzy, brown colored fruits.

Each fruit measures about the size of large hen’s egg and weighs up to 125 g. Internally; the flesh is soft, juicy, emerald green in color with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. Fruit texture is similar to strawberry or sapodilla and the flavor resembles a blend of strawberry, apple and pineapple fruits.

Several other cultivars grown apart from the common kiwifruit variety. "Hardy kiwi fruit" (A.arguta) also known as baby kiwi, are much smaller than "Fuzzy kiwi fruit" (A. deliciosa). Their size is similar to that of a large grape with smooth, edible skin. Inside, "hardy kiwi fruit" resemble "fuzzy kiwi-fruit" in color, texture, but usually has intense flavor and sweetness. "Gold Kiwifruit", developed by hybrid technique by agricultural research department in New Zealand, has a smooth, less hairy, bronze skin, a pointed cap at one end and distinctive golden yellow flesh with less tart and more tropical flavor than green kiwifruit. Commercially, it has a higher market value than common green kiwifruit.

Health benefits of Kiwi fruit

• Kiwifruit is a very rich source of soluble dietary fiber (3.8 g per 100 g of fruit OR 10% of RDA), which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time to toxins as well as binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
• The fruit is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin-C; provides about 154% of the DRI (daily-recommended intake). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• Kiwi fruit contains very good levels of vitamin-A, vitamin-E, vitamin-K and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein and xanthin. Vitamin K has potential role in the increase of bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone. It also has established role in Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
• Research studies have shown that certain substances in kiwi-fruit functions as blood thinner similar to aspirin; helps to prevent clot formation inside the blood vessels and protects from stroke and heart attacks.
• Kiwi seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Research studies shows that consumption of foods rich in ω-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and help prevent development of ADHD, autism, and other developmental differences in children.
• Fresh kiwi fruit is a very rich source of heart healthy electrolyte "potassium". Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.
• It also contains good amounts of minerals like manganese, iron and magnesium. Manganese is used in the body as a co-factor for the powerful antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Magnesium is an important bone-strengthening mineral like calcium.

Selection and storage

Kiwifruit season starts by September and lasts until November. Though they are available throughout most of the year, they are at their best between august until December. Mature fruits harvested from the vine carefully; the unripe stuff appears hard, starchy, and closely resembles sapodilla (sapote) fruit.

Place raw kiwi-fruits in a plastic bag for 4-6 days to ripen. Keeping them in a paper bag with an apple, banana or pear will help to hasten ripening process.

In the sore, select kiwi-fruit with intact skin, without any blemishes or cuts. Ripe kiwis yield to pressure when pressed with the thumb gently. Once ripen, they have short shelf life if kept open at room temperature. So, keep them in the refrigerator.

Preparation and serving methods

Fresh, delicious, succulent kiwifruit can be eaten all alone. Wash under cold running water and gently peel the skin. Once cut, the slices should be eaten soon as they become soggy if left open in the air.

Here are some serving tips:

• Kiwifruits are so delicious that they can be eaten as they are without any additions. Enjoy their unique flavor.
• Serve sliced kiwi fruit and strawberries with yogurt, whose flavors are naturally complementary with each other.
• Mixture of sliced kiwi-fruit and pineapple together to make sauce, add it to marinate chicken breast and boil. The active compound, actinidin in kiwi fruit helps tenderizing meat products.
• The fruit is also used in the preparation of New Zealand’s popular dessert, Pavloa.
• It is also used in the preparation of muffins, cheesecake, pie, juice and jellies.