Kiwi benefits
To describe the nutritional and health attributes of kiwifruit and the benefits relating to improved nutritional status, digestive, immune and metabolic health. The review includes a brief history of green and gold varieties of kiwifruit from an ornamental curiosity from China in the 19th century to a crop of international economic importance in the 21st century; comparative data on their nutritional composition, particularly the high and distinctive amount of vitamin C; and an update on the latest available scientific evidence from well-designed and executed human studies on the multiple beneficial physiological effects.
Kiwi medical use
Of particular interest are the digestive benefits for healthy individuals as well as for those with constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders, including symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. The mechanisms of action behind the gastrointestinal effects, such as changes in faecal (stool) consistency, decrease in transit time and reduction of abdominal discomfort, relate to the water retention capacity of kiwifruit fibre, favourable changes in the human colonic microbial community and primary metabolites, as well as the naturally present proteolytic enzyme actinidin, which aids protein digestion both in the stomach and the small intestine. The effects of kiwifruit on metabolic markers of cardiovascular disease and diabetes are also investigated, including studies on glucose and insulin balance, bodyweight maintenance and energy homeostasis.
Vitamin C
The total ascorbic acid content is the most distinctive nutritional attribute of kiwifruit [12]. The levels in the Hayward green cultivar are typically between 80 and 120 mg per 100 g fresh weight [14]. This natural variation of amounts of vitamin C in fruit, including kiwifruit, is due to numerous factors including growing region and conditions, use of fertilizers, maturity at harvest, time of harvest, storage and ripening conditions [15]. In terms of nutritional value, using scoring models that rank and compare the amount of important nutrients present in foods, kiwifruit score well against other fruit.
This provides a useful means for communicating those nutritional benefits to consumers [16–18], and should be noted that the high nutrient density score is largely driven by their high vitamin C content [12]. Figure 1 compares the vitamin C content of various fruits to that of Hayward and kiwifruit cultivars. The kiwifruit contains 161.3 mg vitamin C per 100 g—almost three times the amount found in oranges and strawberries on an edible flesh weight basis.
Conclusions
The increased research data and growing consumer awareness of the health benefits of kiwifruit provide logical motivation for their regular consumption as part of a balanced diet. Kiwifruit should be considered as part of a natural and effective dietary strategy to tackle some of the major health and wellness concerns around the world.
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