Department of Horticulture, Sikkim University, 6th Mile, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim – 737102, India. Corresponding e-mail: lsharma@cus.ac.in
Abstract: The present study was carried out to investigate the physico-chemical parameters of five cultivars of Kiwifruit (Abbott, Allison, Bruno, Hayward and Monty) grown in different states of India (Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh). Physico-chemical analyses such as fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit volume, fruit density, fuzziness, TSS, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and total sugar were determined. The physico-chemical properties of the fruits showed significant variations amongst cultivars and the locations of cultivation. Fruit weight was in the range of 42.38g in cv. Abbot grown in Himachal Pradesh to 95.84 g in cv. Bruno grown in Arunachal Pradesh. Fruit diameter was as high as 168 mm in cv. Hayward grown in Sikkim. Fruit length of 112 mm was observed as the highest in Cv. Bruno grown in Arunachal Pradesh. TSS was in the range of 11.16
oB in Cv. Monty collected from Himachal Pradesh to 17.03
oB in cv. Allison collected from Arunachal Pradesh. The variations in ascorbic were in the range of 80 mg (cv. Abott grown in Himachal Pradesh) to 112.26 mg/100g (cv. Bruno grown in Himachal Pradesh). All the cultivars under study had a narrow range of total sugar (11.26%- 12.99 %). Overall, the results revealed an appreciable quality of fruits grown in North East India at par with the commercially known kiwi-growing state of Himachal Pradesh. Almost all the physico-chemical parameters taken during the present studies were found to be at par with reported data of marketable fruits from different parts of the world, which reveals the standard quality of kiwifruits grown in India. More studies can be undertaken to establish the physico-chemical markers to identify the source of fruit.
