Abstract: Kiwifruit vinegars were made from ‘Jinyan’ kiwifruits through alcoholic and acetic acid fermentation with peel and without peel, and the quality was evaluated. The results indicated that fermentation with peel showed no significant impact on the acetic acid fermentation process or VC content compared with fermentation without peel, but it could increase acetic acid content and reduce protein content. The contents of citric and malic acid in fruit vinegar were significantly lower than those of fresh fruit, but the tartaric acid content significantly increased. Fermentation with peel could further reduce the contents of tartaric and citric acid. In addition, fermentation with peel could significantly increase the contents of total phenolic and total flavonoids in vinegar. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that fermentation with peel effectively increased the contents of volatile components and enriched the varieties and consequently improved the flavor characteristics of kiwifruit vinegar. This was consistent with the results of electronic nose, indicating that there were significant differences in the aroma profiles of the two samples.

Key words: kiwifruit; ‘Jinyan’ cultivar; fruit vinegar; fermentation with peel; quality analysis; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; electronic nose