Physicochemical Characterization of Kiwifruit (Actinidia Deliciosa 'Hayward') From Different European Origins

Abstract

The objective of this research was to compare physicochemical characteristics of kiwifruits from different countries of origin aiming to associate their characteristics with their origin. Kiwifruits (Actinidia deliciosa), 'Hayward', were compared from three European countries: France, Italy and Portugal, considering eight production areas. Quality indicators were evaluated during storage at 2°C under controlled atmosphere at different sampling times: 2, 45, 80, 120 and 155 days. At each time, 35 kiwifruit, from each production area were randomly selected to be analysed in terms of physicochemical characterization. The effect of country of origin was evaluated through 1-factor ANCOVA. Further, data were analysed by means of multidimensional factorial analysis (MFA) and reduced to 3 multidimensional factors, explaining 70% of the variance. Samples from the three different countries were clearly identified along the full experimental period. As major conclusion, through simple physicochemical evaluations by means of adequate statistical analysis, it was possible to discriminate different countries of origin during different storage times.