The Rutgers Nutrient Density Study

In 1997 this Rutgers University study proved that kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense of 27* of the most popular fruits. So ZESPRI™ Kiwifruit fans can feel good about eating power-packed kiwifruit. Here's the nitty gritty on the study:

OBJECTIVE:

Fruits are all potential sources of many nutrients, but not all fruits are equally rich in nutrient value. The purpose of this study was to determine the most nutrient dense fruits and those that are the best sources of key nutrients.

METHOD:

A comparative analysis was conducted on 27 of the most popular fruits. The study evaluated the ability of a standard 100 grams of each fruit to provide the recommended amounts of 29 dietary constituents, including 9 minerals, 10 vitamins, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, fat and cholesterol. From this data, 2 parameters of nutrient density were calculated:

1. Daily Value per 100 grams (DV/100g) - an index of the average percent contribution in nutritive value of each fruit per 100 grams.
2. Calories per nutrient (CPN) - the cost in calories to deliver 1% of the daily value of nutrients. Foods with high nutrient density have a low CPN.

Top of page

RESULTS:

The Rutgers study found **kiwifruit to be the most nutrient dense of 27 of the most popular fruits, followed by, papaya, cantaloupe and strawberry. On the basis of cost in calories per nutrient, kiwifruit has the 5th lowest caloric cost behind lemon and strawberry, cantaloupe and papaya. Also in terms of CPN, kiwifruit shares a top rating for low-sodium, high-potassium fruit with papaya, apricot and banana.

On an individual food basis, kiwifruit had the highest density for vitamin C; whereas avocado, kiwi and banana led for magnesium compared to other fruits. Avocado, banana and kiwifruit are leading sources for potassium. Kiwifruit was also found to be one of the few low-fat sources of vitamin E.

CONCLUSION:

Fruits are important sources of many nutrients and also contain many other elements that may be important factors in disease risk reduction. The strength of the evidence relating increased fruit and vegetable intake to reduced levels of cancer and heart diseases is compelling enough to encourage consumption. Recommendations to patients, clients and the general public for increasing fruit consumption should stress the importance of a variety of fruit choices and suggest inclusion of lesser-known but nutritionally dense fruits, such as kiwifruit.

Top of page

Top of page

**Fruit meets definition for "excellent source" based on 140g (5oz) reference serving.
*Fruit meets FDA definition for "good source" based on 140g (5oz) reference serving.

Notes:
*This study was abbreviated for purposes of posting on the zesprikiwi.com website. Please contact us if you would like a copy of the full study.

**The Rutgers University study was conducted in 1997, using the green or Hayward variety of kiwifruit. While the nutrient content of ZESPRI™ GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit are similar, they do differ somewhat.
Click here to view the U.S. and Canadian nutrition charts for green and gold kiwifruit.

Lachance PA, Sloan AE. Fruits in Preventative Health and Disease Treatment: Nutritional Ranking and Patient Recommendation. Proceedings of the Symposium on Advances in Clinical Nutrition: The American College of Nutrition 38th Annual Meeting, New York. September 26-28, 1997.

Top of page