New research in New Zealand has confirmed that an enzyme in green kiwifruit can break down proteins, leading to more efficient digestion.
The study was conducted by New Zealand government-funded research centre the Riddet Institute, and shows that green kiwifruit, when consumed with a protein-rich meal, can help improve digestion of several proteins.
'Consumption of kiwifruit has long been claimed to assist in digestion, however to date there has been little published evidence supporting this assumption,' said principal researcher Dr Mike Boland.
'Kiwifruit is well known to have a tenderising effect on meat. This is due to the activity of a naturally occurring enzyme - actinidin - a unique enzyme present only in green kiwifruit. The ability of this enzyme to break down meat protein stimulated our thinking, and led us to investigate the role of Zespri Green kiwifruit in assisting digestion.'
The study measured the digestion of nine different types of food proteins, from meat, milk, legumes and cereal, and used a model of the human digestive system to mimic the process in the stomach and small intestines.
It was found that kiwifruit extract enhanced the digestion of a variety of food proteins more completely and quickly than digestive enzymes alone.
'These exciting findings form part of Zespri's Health Research Programme, which aims to investigate and validate the health benefits of Zespri Green and Gold kiwifruit to consumers globally,' said Jodi Tong, who looks after Zespri's health marketing.
'The enzyme actinidin is unique to kiwifruit and these findings provide us with an opportunity to differentiate kiwifruit within the fruit bowl as well as to highlight the digestive benefits of kiwifruit.'
Zespri is almost three years into a ten-year programme to validate the health benefits of kiwifruit.
'Zespri kiwifruit is a health-laden fruit. Our research enables us to increase global consumer awareness of the health benefits of kiwifruit and demonstrates how kiwifruit can strengthen natural defences for everyday protection,' said Ms Tong.
