Shrivel is a potential storage quality problem for kiwifruit. ‘Zesy003’ (commonly called Gold9) is a newly
released, yellow-fleshed Actinidia chinensis cultivar that tends to shrivel more than other commercialised
cultivars. Water loss and shrivel in Gold9 fruit were investigated during storage at 1 ◦C for up to 14 weeks
and shelf-life at 20 ◦C. In addition, the water status of ripe fruit was quantified by magnetic resonance
imaging and the capacity of a crude outer pericarp cell wall extract to swell. Shrivelled Gold9 fruit had
1–6% weightloss, although 6% weightloss did not always resultin shrivel. Three weeks of storage resulted
in fruit taking longer to shrivel during shelf-life, with a concomitant higher weight loss by the time the
fruit was shrivelled. In contrast, 14 weeks of storage resulted in fruit that shrivelled more rapidly in shelflife
at a lower weight loss. At any given time after harvest, fruit with more severe shrivel tended to be
softer than less shrivelled fruit. Shrivel therefore appears associated with fruit softening. Outer pericarp
tissue from ripe Gold9 fruit had lower water mobility and a greater capacity to swell than pericarp from
other kiwifruit cultivars. It is concluded that shrivel is not determined simply by an absolute amount of
water loss. The development and ease of expression of shrivel in Gold9, and possibly other kiwifruit, is
influenced by softening and the water characteristics of the fruit outer pericarp when soft.