The vitamin C content is 6 times that of oranges! This fruit that looks like a date and has no hair on its body is actually a kiwi?

Everyone is familiar with kiwifruit, but many people may not know much about "soft-fleshed kiwifruit".

This new internet-famous fruit looks like a date but tastes like a kiwi. The vendors praise this fruit as a "magic fruit" that can lower blood lipids, blood pressure, and enhance immunity... What is the true identity of the soft-fleshed kiwi?

Image source: A social platform

Kiwi fruit family

'Maverick'

In the huge family of kiwifruit, the soft-fleshed kiwifruit is undoubtedly a unique existence. Unlike its brothers, it does not have the same hairy skin, but has a smooth appearance.

Image source: Wikipedia (Actinidia arguta VS Ordinary Kiwifruit)

Actinidia arguta is native to my country, with the main production areas being Northeast China, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places. It is also grown in Japan, North Korea, Russia and other countries. Dandong, Liaoning Province is the origin of my country's superior resources and commercial cultivation of Actinidia arguta. The cultivated area has exceeded 30,000 mu, accounting for 50% of the world's cultivated area of ​​Actinidia arguta. In my country, from August to October every year, when the autumn breeze brings coolness, it is the season when Actinidia arguta matures and is put on the market.

In addition to its scientific name, the more famous name of Actinidia arguta on the Internet is "Kiwi berry". In 2018, kiwi berries imported from New Zealand were sold at a high price of nearly 200 yuan per kilogram in Chinese supermarkets, and they were highly favored by Chinese people. In recent years, they have become a new Internet celebrity fruit.

"奇异" is related to kiwifruit (kiwi), while "梅" represents its attribute - berry (strawberry, blueberry and other fruits called berry are also berries). In Northeast China and other places, there are some other names, such as soft date, round date, etc., which do not seem to have anything to do with kiwifruit. In recent years, the main variety of soft date kiwifruit "Longcheng No. 2" has also been put on various e-commerce platforms, allowing more people to know this fruit.

Image source: e-commerce platform

The price of soft-fleshed kiwifruit is expensive. At the beginning, one kilogram could be bought for 100 to 200 yuan. Now, with the advancement of technology, in the season when it is put on the market on a large scale, the price per kilogram ranges from 5 to 70 yuan (mainly affected by many factors such as region, platform, quality, etc.), which is still much more expensive than ordinary kiwifruit.

This is mainly because it is difficult to grow and has a relatively low yield. Soft-fleshed kiwifruit has strict requirements on the growing environment and requires specific soil and climate conditions. Moreover, its picking and storage also require certain skills and costs.

Three major nutrients of Actinidia arguta

The nutritional value of Actinidia arguta is very rich. Let us take a look at its nutritional highlights!

1. A treasure trove of vitamin C

Vitamin C has multiple functions such as anti-oxidation, enhancing immunity, promoting iron absorption and collagen synthesis. The vitamin C content of kiwifruit is extremely high, with the content of vitamin C in every 100 grams of kiwifruit reaching 116.4~430.8 mg.

In comparison, the vitamin C content of ordinary kiwifruit is about 62 mg per 100 g, and that of orange is about 33 mg per 100 g. Taking the most common soft-fleshed kiwifruit variety "Longcheng No. 2" as an example, it contains 195 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, which is about 3 times that of ordinary kiwifruit and 6 times that of orange.

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2. A great helper of dietary fiber

The dietary fiber content in kiwifruit should not be underestimated. Every 100 grams of pulp contains up to 3 grams of dietary fiber, which is higher than many common fruits. According to the nutritional composition of the USDA food database:

Banana: 1.7g/100g

Apple: 2.1g/100g

Orange: 2g/100g

Dietary fiber has a significant effect on promoting intestinal peristalsis and preventing constipation. Friends who want to have a healthy intestine may wish to eat more kiwifruit! If you don't have constipation problems, don't be greedy, because the laxative effect is very good, if you don't believe it, just look at it↓

Image source: A social platform

3. Rich in various minerals

Soft-fleshed kiwifruit is also rich in potassium, calcium and other minerals. Every 100g of soft-fleshed kiwifruit has a calcium content of 29-94mg (the high content is comparable to that of formula milk) and a potassium content of 288mg (banana has a 208mg/100g).

These minerals play an important role in maintaining normal physiological functions of the human body. Potassium helps maintain normal heart and muscle function, while calcium is an important component of bones and teeth.

Actinidia arguta

How to choose the more delicious one?

After talking about so many nutritional highlights, I believe everyone can't wait to try this soft-fleshed kiwi fruit, right? Don't worry, let's talk about its taste and how to eat it!

The taste of soft-fleshed kiwifruit is very unique, with the sweetness and juiciness of kiwifruit and a unique fresh fruity aroma. The flesh of ripe soft-fleshed kiwifruit is soft, sticky and delicate, and melts in your mouth.

As for some people mentioning that soft-fleshed kiwifruit is sour and astringent, it may be because they opened it in the wrong way and bought unripe fruits, so the taste will be sour and astringent. This is mainly because unripe soft-fleshed kiwifruit contains more organic acids.

1. Selection skills: maturity is the key

In order to avoid buying sour and astringent kiwifruit, we must pay attention to the maturity of the fruit when selecting. The ripe fruit has a smooth skin, uniform color, soft touch and a strong fruity aroma. The unripe fruit has a rough skin, dull color, hard touch and a light smell. If you are in a planting area, such as Northeast China, Sichuan and other places, you can go to the market to choose according to the characteristics of raw and ripe.

2. Ripening secrets: natural and artificial methods

If you buy an unripe kiwifruit, you can seal it with ripe apples or bananas for a few days to ripen it with ethylene gas. Of course, you can also put it in a warm place to let it ripen naturally. However, you should pay attention to the state of the fruit to avoid overripening and spoilage.

3. Skinning problem: easy to solve

In addition to the taste problem, another point of complaint is that the soft-fleshed kiwifruit is difficult to peel. Peeling and eating the soft-fleshed kiwifruit is indeed a technical job, but it is not unsolvable.

In fact, you can cut a small hole on the top of a ripe kiwifruit and then suck it hard into your mouth like jelly.

If you want to peel the fruit for someone else, you can first use a knife to make a small cut at one end of the fruit, then use a spoon to gently rotate along the gap between the flesh and the peel, and finally gently pull the peel off completely. The peeled flesh is both complete and beautiful, and you can feel a full sense of ritual while enjoying the delicious taste.

Of course, in addition to eating it directly, if you buy a lot, you can also make it into jam for easy storage and consumption.

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As the leader of the kiwifruit family, the soft-fleshed kiwifruit not only has a unique taste and rich nutrition. Whether it is eaten directly or made into various delicacies, it can make people have an endless aftertaste! If you haven't tried this magical fruit yet, you might as well buy it and try it!

References

[1] Ma Yueshen, Yuan Fugui. Determination of nutritional components of Actinidia arguta fruit[J]. Specialty Products Research, 1992(1):2.

[2] Liu Yanji, Zhu Xueti, Tian Xiaoyan. Identification and nutritional analysis of secondary metabolites in fruit characteristics of Actinidia arguta in Liaoning Province[J]. Journal of Shenyang Agricultural University, 2010, 41(002): 228-230. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-1700.2010.02.023.

[3]WIKIPEDIA.Actinidiaarguta.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinidia_arguta

[4]USDA.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-search?query=orange&type=Foundation

[5] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[6] Xinhua News Agency. The growth story of “Kiwiberry” in China. http://www3.xinhuanet.com/tech/20241018/2f03bbfe6b0d4e749c0b9d273eee15cd/c.html

Planning and production

Author: Li Chun, registered nutritionist

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center