Kiwi

A liana-like climbing plant that also grows as a climbing shrub with soft hairy leaves on the underside and white flowers up to 5 cm in size. The fruit, kiwi fruit, often green but also yellow, is approx. 6 x 4 cm in size, has furry hairs and soft flesh. Flowering time: June to July, fruit ripening: October.

The plant originates from southwest China, was introduced to New Zealand in 1904 and from there reached European markets.

In 1959, the fruit was given the name "kiwi" in England, which comes from the colloquial English name for "New Zealand", derived from the bird of the same name.

Kiwi is a vitamin-rich fruit: in addition to fiber, as well as iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and calcium, it is rich in vitamin C, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin A and vitamin E.

100 g of the product has a physiological calorific value of 210 kJ (51 kcal) and contains, among other things, 1 g fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 45 µg beta-carotene, 0.5 mg vitamin E, 0.02 mg vitamin B1, 0.05 mg vitamin B2, 0.02 mg vitamin B6, 20 µg folic acid and 45 mg vitamin C.

Today, the kiwi fruit is one of the 10 most common triggers of food allergies in Europe. It has achieved this ranking within 3 decades.

1. Mattila L et al. (2003) Food hypersensitivity among Finnish university students: association with atopic diseases. Clin Exp Allergy 33:600-606.

2. Montag A (2023) Plants and skin. Springer-Verlag GmbH. P. 627-630
   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63014-3_7