Partner content: What’s the difference between Green and SunGold™ Kiwifruit?

Zespri™ Kiwifruit have a range of vitamins, minerals and much more, making them a delicious and nutrient-dense complement to your everyday diet. While green kiwifruit is the long-standing, well-known kiwi classic, here are some details about how it compares to its yellow fruit cousin — Zespri™ SunGold™ Kiwifruit.

Difference in appearance of Zespri™ Kiwifruits

Visually, you’ll see a fairly striking difference between our Green and SunGold™ varieties. The green kiwi has a fuzzy brown skin and oval shape. Gold kiwifruit, in contrast, has smooth, hairless skin that’s a nice golden-brown color.

Slicing the fruit in half reveals even more differences. Green kiwifruit has, as one would expect, a green flesh with black seeds. The flesh of our golden kiwifruit is a vibrant yellow color with a smaller core and fewer seeds.

Difference in taste of Zespri™ Kiwifruits

Zespri™ grows for taste, so you can be sure you’re getting the best-tasting kiwifruit no matter what Zespri™ variety you choose! Our green kiwifruit has a fresh, tangy-sweet taste. Zespri™ SunGold™ Kiwifruit has a totally different taste than the green kiwifruit. The SunGold kiwi, which is unique to Zespri™, has that tropically sweet taste. Some even say it tastes like a cross between a mango and a strawberry. Cutting it in half and scooping out the flesh with a spoon is one of the easiest ways to enjoy them. Without the fuzz on the skin, some people are eating this sun-kissed variety just like they would an apple or a plum!

Even though you might see other yellow kiwis in the supermarket, only Zespri™ SunGold™ has a sweet tropical taste and a smooth hairless skin. Other golden kiwis that aren’t SunGold™ will have fuzz and more of a tangy-sweet taste.

Difference in ripening and storage of Zespri™ Kiwifruits

Zespri™ SunGold™ is usually ripe and ready to eat when you buy it and gets sweeter as it softens. Zespri™ Green Kiwifruit can be firmer when purchased, so it is important to let them ripen at room temperature. A ripe kiwi should give to slight pressure like a peach or an avocado. Once kiwifruit is ripe, it can be kept in the refrigerator – about a week for Green Kiwifruit and about two weeks for SunGold™ Kiwifruit.

Want to slow down the ripening process? Simply keep your green or SunGold™ Kiwifruit in the fridge, separate from other fruit. If you need to speed up the ripening process, all kiwifruit variants can be stored at room temperature, in a paper bag with other fruit — like bananas or apples.

The nutritional benefits of Zespri™ Kiwifruits

This is one area where both varieties have a lot in common. Both are full of vitamins and minerals, making Zespri™ Kiwifruit a perfect choice for a healthy snack. Both Zespri™ Green and Zespri™ SunGold™ Kiwifruit have little fat and sodium and no cholesterol. Kiwifruit has a low glycaemic index and is a low FODMAP food.

Both our Green and SunGold™ kiwifruit are amongst the most nutritious fruits, but there are some slight differences in their nutrition:

Low-cal. Here are some of their slight differences when it comes to nutrition: one serving (two kiwifruits) of Green has 90 calories, SunGold™ has 110. Green kiwis contain more potassium than a medium banana, while SunGolds™ have as much as a banana.

Vitamin C. Zespri™ Green is an excellent source of vitamin C, containing more vitamin C than an orange and covering a full day’s requirement per serving. Our SunGold™ Kiwi variety has even more Vitamin C than Green — and three times more than an orange!

Fibre. While green has more fibre than SunGold™ Kiwifruit, they both contain a rare combination of both soluble and insoluble fibre.

We can talk about the differences between our Zespri™ Green and SunGold™ Kiwifruit all day. But don’t just take our word for it. Taste the difference for yourself! Zespri™ Kiwifruit is imported by Star South Fruits (Pty) Ltd and is stocked at most nationwide retailers, including Woolworths, Pick ‘n Pay and Spar.

Visit https://www.zespri.com/en-NZ and https://www.starsouth.co.za for more information.