Avocado - Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging - page 432

Table 23.5. Some properties or utilization of avocado by-products.

Avocado By-product Properties or Utilization Proposed Reference

Leaves extract Confirmed analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties Adeyemi et al. (2002)

Seeds High antioxidant activity and phenolic content Soong and Barlow (2004)

Seeds extract Moderate activity against Trypanosoma cruzi Abe et al. (2005)

Leaves extract Produce significant vasorelaxation and reduce vasoconstriction

on isolated rat aorts

Mbang et al. (2005)

Persin from leaves Persin potential against breast cancer Butt et al. (2006)

Seeds and corn Snack obtained by extrusion Olaeta et al. (2007)

Leaves extract The antifungal activity of the leaves was evaluated Fawzi et al. (2009)

Seeds Larvicidal effects against Artemia salina and Aedes aegypti and

fungicidal against Candida spp.

Giffoni et al. (2009)

Seeds May be useful in the treatment of diabetes Edem et al. (2009)

Seeds extract Antihypertensive-, hypoglycemic-, and cholesterol-reducing

tendency in rats

Anaka et al. (2009)

Seeds Showed an hypolipidemic effect in rats Asaolu et al. (2010)

Seed var. Fuerte The dose level of 500 mg/kg was useful in the treatment of

hypertension of albino rats

Imafidon and Amaechina
(2010)

infections. Giffoni et al. (2009) evaluated the larvicidal ef-
fect of the hexane and methanol seed extracts toward Aedes
aegypti as well as their antifungal potential against strains of
Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans, and Malassezia
pachydermatis. The extracts tested were larvicidal and ac-
tive against all the yeast strains tested in vitro. One of the
cultivars that contains a higher amount of seed (on weight
basis) is the Mexican-type 'Hass' avocado.
Imafidon and Okunrobo (2009) demonstrated that the
aqueous avocado seed extract reduced blood pressures of
hypertensive rats. The crude extract also significantly re-
duced cholesterol, glucose, urea, and sodium levels com-
pared with the hypertensive control.
Effects of aqueous extract of avocado seed on normal and
alloxan-induced diabetic rats were investigated by Edem
et al. (2009). The results showed a significant reduction in
blood glucose levels and suggested a protective effect of
the extract on pancreatic islet cells; therefore the seed may
be useful in the treatment of diabetes. Similar results were
obtained with diabetic rabbits by Koffi et al. (2009).

important from the nutritional and health benefits point of
view, since avocado is a source of water and fat-soluble nu-
trients or phytochemicals, which are of relevance to human
nutrition and health.
Avocados grown in Mexico, on average, have the follow-
ing composition (fresh weight basis): 74% moisture, 2.5%
fiber, 7.6% total carbohydrate, 1.6% proteins, and 13.5%
lipids. These nutrients provide 144 calories per 100 g of
edible portion, that is, without skin and stone, which repre-
sents the 53% of the fruit (Chavez et al., 1992). Avocados
also provide vitamins such as 20 μgretinol,14mgascor-
bic acid, 0.09 mg thiamine, 0.14 riboflavin, 1.9 mg niacin,
0.28 mg pyridoxine, and 62 μ g folic acid. Vitamin E content
of avocado is 28 μ g/g, which is higher than that found in

kiwifruit or grapes. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant
that stops the production of free radicals formed when fat
undergoes oxidation.
Avocados provide a high content of potassium and are
very low in sodium; potassium-sodium proportion is 150
to 1, which is beneficial to persons on a low-sodium diet.
Average mineral contents, per 100 g pulp, are 604 mg potas-
sium, 4 mg sodium, 24 mg calcium, 0.5 mg iron, 45 mg
magnesium, and 0.42 mg zinc (Chavez et al., 1992). The
principal component of the lipid fraction is the monoun-
saturated oleic acid. An edible portion of 100 g contains
2.2 g of saturated fatty acids, 8.9 g of monounsaturated
fatty acids, and 1.7 g of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is
important to note that this fruit has a good balance of omega
fatty acids 3, 6, and 9 (Ortiz et al., 2003).

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NUTRITIONAL PROFILE

Nutrient composition
Composition of nutrients of any fruit may vary depending
on the variety, grade of ripening, climate and composition
of soil, and fertilizers. Avocados have significantly higher
lipid content (8-25%) as compared to other fruits. This is