奇異果
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奇異果（kiwifruit），是獼猴桃屬中最常見的一類。是源產於中國，稱Actinidia deliciosa的物種，以及此物種與彌猴桃屬中的其他物種之混種。在全世界以"kiwifruit"的名字销售，但是在北美，人们更常称其为"kiwi"。
最常见的Actinidia deliciosa，大小和一个鸡蛋差不多（約6公分高、圓周約4.5至5.5公分），一般是椭圆形的。深褐色并带毛的表皮一般不食用。而其内则是呈亮绿色的果肉和一排黑色的种子。獼猴桃的质地柔软，味道有时被描述为草莓、香蕉、鳳梨三者的混合。而它之所以被称呼为奇异果，是因为其表皮上又短又直的茸毛酷似新西蘭奇異鳥的羽毛。
奇異果外皮有豐富果膠，可降低血中膽固醇。奇異果中所含纖維，有三分之一是果膠，特別是皮和果肉接觸部分。果膠可降低血中膽固醇濃度，預防心血管疾病。
據研究顯示，奇異果被認為是營養密度最高的水果，每天吃兩顆奇異果，可補充身體中的鈣質，增強人體對食物的吸收力，改善睡眠质量。奇異果中的微酸，能促進腸胃臑動，減少腸胃脹氣，改善睡眠狀態。奇異果有豐富的維生素C，一顆奇異果含的維生素C就有87毫克，且果肉中黑色顆粒部分，有豐富的維生素E，可以防止發生黃斑部病變。且奇異果屬低脂低熱量水果，還有豐富的葉酸、膳食纖維、低鈉高鉀等。奇異果中所含的精氨酸能幫助傷口癒合，並有治療陽萎的作用。奇異果中含有多種氨基酸，像麩氨酸及精氨酸這兩種氨基酸可作為腦部神經傳導物質、可促進生長激素分泌。
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[编辑] 分类
有记录的獼猴桃屬品种有94种，以下的品种是栽种食用，並以奇異果為名在世界上販售的：
- Actinidia deliciosa, formerly called Actinidia chinensis; by far the most common in commerce
- Actinidia chinensis, similar to Actinidia deliciosa; but with green, yellow and even yellow-red flesh
- Actinidia arguta, kokuwa, tara vine, or hardy kiwi; smaller (10-15 grams) and with green edible skins and green flesh; hardier than A. deliciosa
- Actinidia cordifolia, hardy kiwi; similar to A. arguta
- Actinidia purpurea, hardy kiwi; similar to A. arguta but red-fleshed
- Actinidia kolomikta, kolomikta, arctic beauty, or arctic kiwi; produces very small fruits, 8 grams or smaller; the hardiest species (to about -40°C)
- Actinidia polygama, silver vine; produces small fruits
Breeders have also created hybrids by deliberately crossing the preceding species.
[编辑] History
Actinidia deliciosa is native to southwest China, and Actinidia chinensis is very common in the lower elevations of southeast China. Other species of Actinidia are also found in China and range into southeastern Siberia.
Cultivation spread from China in the early 20th century, when seeds were introduced to New Zealand by Isabel Fraser, the principal of Wanganui Girls' College, who had been visiting mission schools in China. The seeds were planted in 1906 by a Wanganui nurseryman, Alexander Allison, with the vines first fruiting in 1910. People who tasted the fruit then thought it had a gooseberry flavour and began to call it the Chinese Gooseberry, but being from the actinidia family it is not related to the Grossulariaceae (gooseberry) family.
The familiar Actinidia deliciosa "Hayward" cultivar was developed by Hayward Wright in Avondale, New Zealand around 1924. It was initially grown in domestic gardens, but commercial planting began in the 1940s. Italy is now the leading producer of kiwifruit in the world, followed by New Zealand, Chile, France, Greece, Japan and the United States. Kiwifruit is still produced in its birthplace China, but China has never made it to the top 10 list of kiwifruit producing countries. In China, it is grown mainly in the mountainous area upstream of the Yangtze River. It is also grown in other areas of China, including Sichuan.
[编辑] Names
In Chinese:
- Macaque peach (猕猴桃 míhóu táo): the most common name
- Unusual fruit or wonder fruit (奇異果 qíyì guǒ): the most common name in Taiwan and Hong Kong (奇异果 kay yee goh). A quasi-transliteration of "kiwifruit".
- Yang peach or sun peach (阳桃 yáng táo)
- Goat peach (羊桃 yáng táo); these two are homophonous with poplar peach (杨桃), meaning carambola.
- Hairy pear (毛梨 máo lí)
- Vine pear (藤梨 téng lí)
- 萇楚(cháng chǔ)，中國古代的稱呼，出現於《詩經‧檜風‧隰有萇楚》。
The kiwifruit was called the Chinese Gooseberry because of the common practice of naming a new plant after a familiar one, the gooseberry. However, New Zealand fruit-and-vegetable export company Turners and Growers began to call it the kiwifruit (after the kiwi, a flightless bird native to New Zealand) in 1959 to give it more marketing appeal. Growers gradually adopted the name and in 1974 the kiwifruit became the official trade name. The old name is occasionally still used in Australia.
In North America, the "fruit" part of the name is usually dropped, and most people associate "kiwi" with the fruit rather than the bird. This usage can cause some minor confusion and tends to annoy many New Zealanders. To avoid foreigners becoming confused about what a "kiwi" was: a bird, a fruit or a New Zealander, most New Zealand Kiwifruit is now marketed under the (capitalised) brand name ZESPRI.
[编辑] Varieties
Almost all kiwifruit in commerce belong to a few varieties of Actinidia deliciosa: Hayward, Chico, and Saanichton 12. The fruit of these varieties are practically indistinguishable and match the description of a standard kiwifruit given at the head of this article.
A new type of Actinidia chinensis known as "golden kiwifruit" with yellow flesh and sweet flavour resembling a tropical fruit salad was produced by New Zealand horticulturists and is being marketed worldwide in increasing volumes. Some wild vines in China have yellow fruit but are small and not commercially viable. Seeds from these plants were imported to New Zealand in 1987 and the horticulturists took eleven years to develop the new fruit through cross-pollination and grafting with green kiwi vines. Golden kiwifruit has a smooth, bronze skin, a pointed cap at one end and distinctive golden yellow flesh. It has fetched a higher market price than green kiwifruit.
[编辑] Food value
Kiwifruit is a rich source of vitamin C. Its potassium content by weight is slightly less than that of a banana. It also contains vitamins A and E, calcium, iron and folic acid.
Raw kiwifruit is also rich in the protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin (in the same family of thiol proteases as papain), which is commercially useful as a meat tenderizer but can be an allergen for some individuals. Specifically, people allergic to papayas or pineapples are likely to be allergic to kiwifruit also.
This enzyme, which is quickly destroyed by boiling the fruit, makes raw kiwifruit unfit for use in desserts containing milk or any other dairy products. The enzyme will start to dissolve the milk proteins within a few minutes, leaving a very unpleasant bitter taste. But, sliced kiwifruit may be used as a garnish atop whipped cream as on one of New Zealanders favourite desserts, the pavlova, without ill effects.
[编辑] Cultivation
Kiwifruit can be grown in most temperate climates. Where Actinidia deliciosa is not hardy, other species are grown as substitutes.
Kiwifruit is commercially grown on sturdy support structures, as it can produce several tonnes per acre, more than the rather weak vines can support. These are generally equipped with a watering system for irrigation and frost protection in the spring.
Kiwifruit vines require vigorous pruning, similar to that of grapevines. Fruit is borne on one-year-old and older canes, but declines as each cane ages. Canes should be pruned off and replaced after their third year.
Kiwifruit plants are normally dioecious, meaning that individual plants are male or female. Only female plants bear fruit, and only when pollenized by a male plant. One male pollenizer is required be planted for each three to eight female vines. An exception is the Issai variety, a hybrid (Actinidia arguta x rufa) from Japan, which produces perfect flowers and can self-pollinate; unfortunately it lacks vigour, is less hardy than most A. arguta forms and is not a large producer.
Kiwifruit is notoriously difficult to pollinate because the flowers are not very attractive to bees. Some producers blow collected pollen over the female flowers. But generally the most successful approach is saturation pollination, where the bee populations are made so large (by placing hives in the orchards) that bees are forced to use this flower because of intense competition for all flowers within flight distance.
[编辑] See also
- List of fruits
