Fresh Food Quality Evaluation of Kiwifruit Based on Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis

In order to comprehensively evaluate the fresh food quality of the major cultivars and new varieties of kiwifruit from two strains of Chinese kiwifruit and delicious kiwifruit in Shaanxi Province, the six main varieties including Hongyang, Qihong, Jinyan, Cuixiang, Xuxiang, Hayward and the two new varieties Nongda Jinmi and Nongda Yuxiang were used as raw materials for comparing and analyzing the quality indexes such as soluble solids, dry matter, soluble sugar, titratable acid, protein, amino acid, VC, volatile matter content, hardness and color. The fresh food quality of eight varieties of kiwifruit was also comprehensively evaluated by principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that the major cultivars of Qihong, Cuixiang, Hongyang and new variety Nongda Jinmi had higher quality because of rich fruit flavor, high content of various nutrients and volatile substances relatively. The four principal component factors extracted by principal component analysis had a cumulative variance contribution rate of 85.916%. The fresh food quality difference of 8 varieties of kiwifruit was significant. According to the clustering of varieties, the kiwifruits could be divided into 5 categories. The overall quality was ranked as Nongda Jinmi, Qihong, Cuixiang, Hongyang, Nongda Yuxiang, Hayward, Xuxiang and Jinyan. Qihong, Cuixiang and Hongyang were the varieties with better quality among the main varieties. The comprehensive quality of the new variety Nongda Jinmi was better than the major cultivars. The study provided a reference for the selection of high quality varieties in kiwifruit consumption, planting and storage. © 2021 Authors. All rights reserved.