Kiwi Fruit History

kiwi fruits have a very recent and interesting history, that deeply reflects their perceived usefulness, appreciation and popularity.
Their scientific name is Actinidia Deliciosa, and they first made their appearance in Southern China, where they were known as Yang Tao (sunny peach) or Mihou Tao (macaque peach): in fact, in China they are still considered the national fruit! As of today, many other species of Actinidia can be found in Japan and Siberia.
kiwifruit s were introduced to the western world at the beginning of the 20th century - when the missionary Isabel Frasier (the principal of of Wanganui Girls' College) introduced them to New Zealand after visiting missions in China.
The very first seed was planted in 1906 by Alexander Allison (a Wanganui nurseryman), and the first fruits were gathered in 1910.
In 1920, many kiwifruit s were sold by a number of nurseryman, including Duncan and Davies, Bruno Just, Hortons of Hastings, Frank Mason and Hayward Wright. The first plantings were in Auckland, Wanganui, Fielding and Tauranga.
In 1952, the first load of kiwifruit s was exported by Jim MacLoughlin and Grahame Bayliss: it consisted of 13 tonnes, exported to England.
In 1958, Turners and Growers (a fruit packaging firm in Auckland), briefly named the fruit "melonette", but changed its name to the Maori word "kiwi" after learning about steep tariffs on melons. the first 100 cases of kiwifruit were successfully exported to California.
In 1970, the first successful crop of Californian kiwifruit was harvested!
In 1991, a new variety of golden, yellow kiwifruit was developed. It was originally named "Hort16A" and it was bred in an orchard owned by HortResearch in Te Puke.
Since then, new species for commercial purposed were grown, and a mention must be made to the Hayward species, cultivated first around 1924 by Hayward Wright in Avondale (New Zealand). This new species led to the beginning of commercial production around 1940.
By 1960, they were widely known as "Chinese Gooseberries", because of their visual resemblance to gooseberries. They don't belong to the same genus as gooseberries, though!
As of 2007, the leading producers of kiwifruit are, in order: Italy, New Zealand,Iran, Chile, France, Greece, Japan and the USA. kiwi fruits are also cultivated in China, albeit in smaller amounts, in the regions of the mountainous Yangtze River and Sichuan.

kiwifruit Naming

The kiwi is a small flightless bird originated in New Zealand. In 1960 the name kiwifruit chose for the Chinese gooseberry.kiwifruit translates to “souris vegetales” in France, signifying vegetable mouse. It seems that the kiwifruit name is because of its similarity to kiwi bird.

Kiwifruit Benefits

kiwifruit Vitamins

kiwi fruits include a rich amount of Vitamin C (more than oranges).It has the highest compactness of any fruit for vitamin C. kiwi fruit has excellent levels of vitamin-A, vitamin-E, vitamin-K. It also has potential role in Alzheimer's disease patients by decreasing neuronal damage in the brain.

kiwifruit Potassium

Fresh kiwi fruit is a very good source of "potassium". kiwifruit is number one by having potassium more than a banana or citrus fruits. Potassium is an important part of cell that helps heart rate and blood pressure controlling.

kiwi fruit and Anti Oxidant

Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that certainly defends our body from free radicals, improving of the individual’s health that used it regularly against all kinds of disease. Vitamin E has same effects. kiwi fruits include high amount of these vitamins.

kiwifruit high fiber content

kiwifruit also is a very good source of dietary fiber. Diets including efficient amount of fiber can decrease high cholesterol levels, which may decrease the risk of heart attack and disease. In addition, Fiber is helpful for preventing colon cancer. Also fiber-rich foods, like kiwifruit , are good to control the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients.

kiwifruit Minerals

Another major benefit of the kiwifruit is the reality that it is included a variety of minerals. This type of mineral is especially important for people who live in hot places. kiwifruit includes minerals like manganese, iron and magnesium. Magnesium is a great bone-strengthening mineral as same as calcium.

kiwi fruit and omega-3

kiwifruit seeds are a very good source of omega-3. Researchers prove that by using foods rich in omega-3 the risk of coronary heart disease may reduce.

kiwifruit protections from disease

ARMD

Eating 3 or more kiwifruit per day can decrease about 35% the risk of an eye-related disease developing named ARMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration), in comparison with people who only eat 1.5 servings of fruit each day.

Cancer

kiwifruit has been proven to have an antmutagenic ingredient that is helpful to prevent cancer.

Depression

Researchers have shown that inositol, because of its act, can be useful in the depression treatment. Inositol is found in kiwifruit .

Diabetes

Inositol, a sugar alcohol in kiwifruit , may have a favorable role to regulate diabetes.

Eye Health

kiwifruit is an excellent source of lutein which accumulates in the retina of the eye. The kiwifruit is rich in vitamins A, C, and E which are the most common anti-oxidant vitamins. The study proved that the people who consume fruits including a high amount of vitamins A, C, and E had a better protection ratio against macular degeneration than those people who consume fewer fruits of this type.

Stress Reduction

kiwifruit includes a high level of serotonin. Serotonin is helpful for calming in most individuals.

Physical Fitness

kiwifruit has various types of minerals (electrolytes) necessary for refill those lost in hot places. In addition, it’s a natural important source of minerals for a fitness regimen.

Weight Control

One of the most nutrient-rich fruits is kiwifruit . You take the best nutrients per calorie balance through kiwifruit .

Help in Weight Loss

kiwifruit is an excellent fruit to consume to solve your losing weight. One kiwi contains just 46 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein. This is one of the fruits with lowest calories.

Concerns about using kiwifruit

kiwifruit and Oxalates

kiwifruit is one of rare number of foods that include significant amounts of oxalates. When oxalates become too collected in body, health problems could be happen. Because of it, individuals with already having problems may want to avoid eating kiwifruit .

kiwifruit and Latex Allergy

Same as bananas and avocados, kiwifruit has material named compounds which are in association with the latex-fruit allergy. If you have a latex allergy, you may very likely be allergic to eat kiwifruit .