This paper will focus on the kiwi fruit of portion size, 100 grams. The kiwi fruit is botanically referred to as Actinidia deliciosa and the common name used is Chinese gooseberry. The fruit is rich in nutrient content. The three major nutritional components are carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. A 100 gram portion of the green, raw kiwi fruit contains approximately 14.66 g of carbohydrates, 1.14 grams of protein and 0.52grams of total lipid (fat). The total amount of energy obtained from 100 grams of this fruit is 61 kcal. Other common vitamins and minerals in this food item are Vitamin C, (Ascorbic acid), thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, folate, choline, betaine, , Vitamin A and vitamin K. The mineral components include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper manganese and selenium. In addition to these, the kiwi fruit contains a variety of other nutritive components such as high quantities of water, and essential amino acids such as tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, arginine, histidine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline and serine (USDA, n.d.).
Water
The kiwi fruit contains approximately 83.07 grams of water for every 100 grams. Water is a very important component in life. More than 60% of all living organisms’ cells are made of water. The water dissolves substances such as nutrients to help living organisms assimilate them as well being the medium for release of waste products. The physical and chemical properties of water have a major impact on all living organisms. Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. The chemical bonding renders it neutral and safe to be absorbed by all living organisms. The physical ability of water to flow is also vital as it facilitates easy movement of solute particles dissolved in it move from regions of high concentration to regions of low concentrations through semi-permeable membranes which bind all living organisms’ basic building blocs; the cells (Nelson, 2005).
Biological molecule
The most abundant biological molecule in the kiwi fruit is carbohydrate. The basic chemical structure of carbohydrates constitutes carbon molecules interlinked with oxygen and hydrogen atoms. These combine to form the simplest of sugars called monosaccharaides such as glucose, fructose and lactose. The monosaccharaides, through condensation, that involves the loss of a water molecule form disaccharides. A chain of numerous monosaccharaides or disaccharides results in formation of polysaccharides of different forms such as starch and cellulose. The se in general terms are referred to as c carbohydrates. Starch which is one of the most abundant carbohydrates is formed by linkage of large chains of glucose molecules. The commonest starches are the amylose and amylopectin. The amylose is composed of linear glucose chains linked by alpha-1, 4-glucosidic bonds while amylopectin is made of branched chains of glucose molecules connected by alpha-1, 6 bonds. The primary function of starch is derivation of energy. When broken down, starch releases large amounts of energy in form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that drives all metabolic processes in the body. Cellulose forms the cell walls of plant cells and is formed by glucose molecules linked by beta-1, 4- glucosidic bonds (Stick & Williams, 2009).
Recommendations
Kiwi fruit is low in fat and high in fibre. The fruit also has potassium mineral component of high value. This fruit is therefore highly recommended for daily intake. At least two kiwi fruits give the body the recommended amount of vitamin C. Furthermore, the fruit is free of saturated fat, and cholesterol as well as medical value of reducing effects of asthma (California Kiwifruit Commission, 2006).
References
California Kiwifruit Commission. (2006). Fruit and Veggie Guru. Web.
Nelson, R. (2005). What is water? Minneapolis, Minn: Lerner.
Stick, R. V., & Williams, S. J. (2009). Carbohydrates: The essential molecules of life. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
USDA (n.d.). Kiwifruit, green, raw. Web.