The keeping ability of a kiwifruit is partly dependent on its species (some varieties keep better than others, see my kiwifruit varieties page for details).
In this guide to keeping and storing kiwifruit I will from now on assume you are a consumer that wants to learn how to keep his kiwifruit at home, so the kiwifruit varieties you want to keep are the currently commercially viable ones (for example the Hayward type).
How Long will Kiwifruit Keep?
Kiwifruit can be kept in several different ways, which will greatly alter the amount of time it can be conserved
Once ripe, a standard green Hayward kiwifruit will keep for approximately:
- 2-3 days at ambient temperature
- 5-7 days in the fridge (some brands such as Zespri claim it lasts for two weeks)
- around one year in the freezer (please note you can actually keep a properly frozen kiwifruit for much longer periods of time, the one year is a guideline for safest consumption and highest nutritional content)
How Long will a Yellow – Golden Kiwifruit Keep?
These species keep worse than the green varieties, but they are purportedly tastier when eaten cold:
- 1-2 days at ambient temperature
- 3-6 days in the fridge
- around one year in the freezer (please note you can actually keep a properly frozen golden kiwifruit for much longer periods of time, the one year is a guideline for safest consumption and highest nutritional content)
Ripening Kiwifruit
It is generally advised to let kiwifruit ripen at room temperature, then either put it in the fridge (for immediate consumption) or in the freezer (for long term storage).
Being sensitive to other fruits’ ethylene production, you can induce or hasten kiwifruit ripening by storing it close to a banana or apple, for example in the classic plastic bag.
Ways to improve the keeping time of kiwifruit
- The paper or plastic bag where you freeze it should be vented, this allows air exchange and normalization of humidity in the freezer
- If you store kiwi in a very sugary solution, it will keep for longer. You can do this by dissolving 3 cups of sugar into 4 cups of water, and boiling the mixture for a while until it turns into a syrup. You then keep the kiwifruit in a plastic bag, completely covered by the syrup.
- A much easier alternative is to just use honey for the step described above. Please note honey itself has been reported to never spoil (some jars of honey have been found in egyptian pharaoh’s tombs and they were still edible after thousands of years!)
- Natural preservatives such as citric acid (lemon juice) or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) will slow down the oxidation process if you keep them in the fridge. They don’t make much of a difference if you freeze them, though
References
1. Zespri Kiwifruit – how do i store a kiwi