Chemical compounds and sensory assessment of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis (Planch.) var. chinensis):: electrochemical and multivariate analyses

This study reports the analytical and sensory analyses made on selected kiwifruit genotypes (Actinidia chinensis (Planch.) var. chinensis) produced from seeds of fruit gathered in the Guangxi region of the People's Republic of China. The analytical measurements of some soluble sugars, such as glucose and fructose, and non-volatile acids, such as malic and ascorbic acid, were carried out using innovative analytical procedures based on fast and selective devices that require very little or no sample treatment. The multivariate techniques, Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis, useful when many variables are involved, allowed the classification of kiwifruit genotypes according to sugar and nonvolatile acid contents and sensory properties. Citric acid, the major organic acid, ranged from 0.8 to 1.8 g per 100 g of fresh weight and malic acid content was 0.1-0.5g per 100g of fresh weight. The levels of fructose and glucose (present in approximately equal amounts in most of the genotypes analysed), were higher than that of sucrose in almost all the genotypes. Ascorbic acid content in kiwifruit samples from genotypes of Actinidia chinensis (Planch.) var, chinensis was higher than the typical mean content in Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa (A Chev) cv Hayward. Sensory assessment showed that total fruit aroma and flavour were the best discriminating attributes and were highly correlated with overall quality. No consistent correlation was found between overall quality and the sensory attributes of sweetness, juiciness and firmness. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All right reserved.