The actinidia arguta ‘Hortgem Thai’ and actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’ kiwi fruit as a source of exogenous atioxidants

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the content of exogenous antioxidants in kiwi fruits available in Gdynia, Poland, and their ability to reduce free radicals. The test material consisted of mini kiwi fruit (Actinidia arguta) of the ‘Hortgem Thai’ cultivar and kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) of the ‘Hayward’ cultivar. The carotenoid pigments were determined by the Lichtenthaler method, vitamin C in accordance with PN-A-04019:1998, polyphenols by the Folin-Ciocialteu method and the ability to reduce free radicals using a synthetic DPPH radical. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of fruit species on the quality traits analysed. The significance of differences between the means was determined using Tukey’s test. Relationships were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. Correlation coefficients between the antioxidant activity of kiwi fruit and the content of exogenous antioxidants were also determined. The results showed that Actinidia arguta has significantly higher contents of exogenous antioxidants than Actinidia deliciosa. The antioxidant properties of this fruit were also found to be mainly due to its vitamin C content.