Genotypic difference in postharvest characteristics of hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta and its hybrids), as a new commercial crop Part I. Sensory profiling and physicochemical differences

Hardy kiwifruit, Actinidia arguta (Siebold et. Zucc) Planch ex Miq. and A. purpurea Rehd. are species with healthy fruit and high frost resistance. Despite being still exotic they start to be grown commercially, therefore they may become an important supplement to the current fruit production in regions with colder climate such as north European countries. The main goal of the study was to assess the genotypic variability of physicochemical and sensory characteristics of A. arguta fruit at the eating ripeness stage. Seven A. arguta genotypes and two hybrids (A. arguta × A. purpurea) including four selected at Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland, were evaluated via physicochemical measurements and via quantitative descriptive analysis by a trained sensory panel. The study consisted of two-year evaluation. The study showed high diversity of postharvest physicochemical characteristics of the examined hardy kiwifruit: firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acidity as well as mass and shape. This fruit diversity is significantly increased by the A. arguta and A. purpurea hybrids which are responsible for large part of the colour differences among the genotypes, revealing high potential of cross-breeding of these species. On the other hand, the overall sensory characteristics of the examined genotypes are similar. In general, ripe hardy kiwifruit are characterised with soft, sour and averagely astringent skin with additional irritating note. The taste of the soft, jelly-like pulp is dominated by fruity and sweet tastes with low admixture of irritating, vinous, astringent and sour tastes.