Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 8.3
Avocado Fruit Composition.
Component
Desai 1984). It is a rich source of potassium; containing 1.6
times as much as bananas. A 100 gm serving has about 177
calories, contains no cholesterol, and has about 17 gm of fat,
which is primarily mono-unsaturated type. Oil content is a
key part of the sensory quality of the fruit. Oil quality is very
similar to that of olive oil with a high proportion of the oil
being approximately 75% mono-unsaturated, 15% saturated
and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, there is
variation with race, cultivar, growing region and season. The
high mono- and poly-unsaturation, and low saturated content
makes it a 'healthy' oil in terms of effect on heart disease
(Lerman
et al
. 1994). Mono-unsaturated fats in avocados
have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol while
preserving the level of high-density lipoproteins. In addition,
avocado oil contains a range of other health promoting
compounds such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, α-tocopherol
and ß-sitosterol. The edible portion of the fruit is rich in
oleic, palmitic, linoleic and palmitoleic acids, while stearic
acid is present only in trace amounts. Changes in fatty acid
distribution of the lipids were demonstrated to be associated
with fruit development. Linolenic acid remained unchanged
throughout the development period, palmitic, palmitoleic
and linoleic acids increased slightly while the major change
was a large increase in oleic acid. The fatty acid composition
of the lipids of avocado fruit and avocado oil differs greatly
with cultivar, stage of ripening, anatomical region of the
fruit and geographic location (Itoh
et al
. 1975). However,
the major fatty acid is always oleic followed by palmitic and
linoleic acids, while the fatty acids present in trace amounts
are myristic, stearic, linolenic and arachidonic (Gutfinger &
Letan 1974; Itoh
et al
. 1975; Tango
et al
. 1972; Mazliak
1971; Swisher 1984). The cuticular wax contains C20 to
C27 long-chain fatty acids (Mazliak 1971).
Avocados are rich in vitamin B6 (3.9-6.1 μg/g pyridox-
ine) and contain lesser amounts of biotin, folic acid, thiamin,
riboflavin (Hall
et al
. 1955), calciferol (vitamin D),
α-tocopherol (vitamin E) and 2-methyl-1, 4-naphthoquinone
(vitamin K) (Kadam & Salunkhe 1995).
Quantity
Water (%)
74.4
Lipids (%)
20.6
Proteins (%)
1.8
Fibre (%)
1.4
Ash (%)
1.2
Sugars (%)
Glucose
0.30
Fructose
0.10
Sucrose
0.10
Organic acids (%)
Malic acid
0.32
Citric acid
0.05
Oxalic acid
0.03
Vitamins (mg/100g)
Ascorbic acid
11.0
Thiamine
0.07
Riboflavin
0.12
Nicotinic acid
1.9
Vitamin B6
0.62
Folic acid
0.04
Biotin
0.006
Carotenoids (mg/100g)
α
-carotene
0.29
β
-carotene
0.03
Criptoxanthin
0.16
Minerals (mg/100g)
Potassium
480
Phosphorus
27.0
Calcium
14.0
Magnesium
23.0
Sodium
2.0
Iron
0.7
Zinc
0.5
Table 8.4
Nutritional Content (g/100 g) of Some Avocado Varieties Grown in Mexico.
Variety
Moisture
Ash
Fat
Protein
Carbohydrates
Total fibre
Pellejo
1.10
1.37
1.37
1.37
3.70
3.73
Grande
0.50
1.37
1.37
1.37
4.82
2.25
Verde
1.10
1.81
1.81
1.81
5.89
0.40
Hass
1.30
1.60
1.60
1.60
5.60
—
Source: Ortiz
et al
. (2003).
