Kiwi fruit nutrition facts
Kiwi fruit, also known as 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 within the family of Actinidiaceae; Genus, Actinidia. Scieintific name: Actinidia chinensis.
The journey of this humble gooseberry from China's mainland to Oceania, and thence to worldwide be quite 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 a commercial scale in many European and as far as in California regions in North America.
During each season which lasts from September until November, The kiwi vine bears numerous ovals shaped, fuzzy, brown colored fruits.
ovals shaped, fuzzy, brown colored fruits. Each fruit measures approximately the size of large hen’s egg, and weighs up to 125 g. internally; its flesh is soft, juicy, emerald green 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 are 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" resembles "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, sparse hairs, 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;
providing about 154% of
the DRI
(daily-recommended intake). Consumption of
foods rich in vitamin-C
helps the 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 a 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. Total antioxidant strength
measured in terms of oxygen
radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of kiwifruit (gold,
raw)
is 1210 µmol TE/100 g.
-
Research studies have shown that certain
substances in kiwi-fruit functions as blood thinner function similar to
aspirin; thus, it helps prevent clot formation inside the blood vessels
and protect from stroke and heart-attack risk.
-
Kiwi-fruit seeds are an
excellent
source of omega-3 fatty
acids. Research studies show that consumption of
foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart
disease, stroke, and help prevent the development of ADHD, autism, and
other developmental disorders in children.
-
Fresh kiwi fruit is a very rich source of
heart-healthy electrolyte "potassium." 100 g contains 312 mg or 7% of
daily-recommended levels of this electrolyte. Potassium is an important
component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and
blood pressure by countering malefic 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 begins 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 the 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 pears will help to
augment ripening process.
In the stores,
choose kiwi featuring intact skin, without any surface blemishes or
cuts. Ripe-kiwis yield to gentle pressure when pressed with the thumb.
Ripe kiwi-berries have a short shelf life and damage early if kept open
at room temperature. For extended shelf-life, keep them in the
refrigerator set at appropriate humidity.
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.
Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
---|---|---|
Energy | 61 Kcal | 3% |
Carbohydrates | 14.66 g | 11% |
Protein | 1 g | 2% |
Total Fat | 0.52 g | 2% |
Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
Dietary Fiber | 3 g | 8% |
Vitamins | ||
Folates | 25 µg | 6% |
Niacin | 0.341 mg | 2% |
Riboflavin | 0.025 mg | 2% |
Thiamin | 0.027 mg | 2% |
Vitamin A | 87 IU | 3% |
Vitamin C | 92.7 mg | 154% |
Vitamin E | 1.46 mg | 10% |
Vitamin K | 40.3 µg | 34% |
Electrolytes | ||
Sodium | 3 mg | 0% |
Potassium | 312 mg | 7% |
Minerals | ||
Calcium | 34 mg | 3.5% |
Copper | 0.130 mg | 14% |
Iron | 0.31 mg | 4% |
Magnesium | 17 mg | 4% |
Manganese | 0.098 mg | 4% |
Zinc | 0.14 mg | 1% |
Phyto-nutrients | ||
Carotene-β | 52 µg | -- |
Crypto-xanthin-β | 0 µg | -- |
Lutein-zeaxanthin | 122 µg | -- |
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