What are golden kiwis and how does their nutrition compare to their green sibling?Also referred to simply as a gold kiwi, this is a modern invention, for lack of better words. Its is not a GMO so don't worry about that. Rather, its cultivation began in the 70's by breeding different varieties until becoming the golden kiwi we know today - smaller than the green and a flesh which is a dull or pale yellow. The other major difference you will immediately see is that the yellow kiwi has very little fuzz or hairs on it in comparison.What does a gold kiwi taste like? Unlike the green, there is virtually zero tartness. It is much sweeter. The texture is smoother and less fibrous and chewy.So how does the nutrition of a golden yellow kiwi vs. green kiwi compare? For measured antioxidants, the difference is significant. As you see above, the gold's ORAC is 1210 while the green's is 862. That means this new variety has 40% more antioxidant content, when you compare them on an equal weight basis.ORAC measures total antioxidant value though even without that value, we can see differences in nutrition between them. For a one cup serving, a gold kiwi has 196 mg of vitamin C while a green has less at 167. Furthermore, a quick glance at their nutritional labels from the bag reveal that the yellow kiwi has almost double the amount of vitamin A, B6, E, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin. However there is one thing the green kiwi is more nutritious for and that is vitamin K content; 72.5 micrograms versus the 10.2 micrograms found in the gold. Moving beyond the nutrition labels, research shows us that the kiwi golden variety has over twice as much lutein and zeaxanthin (both of which are important nutrients for eye health).
ORAC Source
USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 - Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - May 2010