Avocados are a great choice whether you’re topping toast or serving burritos. They’re not only adaptable and delicious but also a fantastic source of essential nutrients. They have a serious pickiness issue when it comes to preferences. When mashed or sliced, avocados quickly become blackish-brown. How can you keep soiled avocados fresh except by eating them as soon as you notice them? The following portion of this post will teach you how to avoid brown spots in avocado so you can have your guacamole and eat it, too.
A variety of factors might cause avocados to turn brown.
Traci Weintraub, a chef and the founder of Gracefully Fed, claims: “Avocados become brown when air comes into touch with their flesh. A succinct introduction to the field of physics is provided below: Avocado flesh is abundant in polyphenol oxidase and phenols, two plant compounds (an enzyme). A protein that serves as a catalyst for chemical reactions is an enzyme. When phenols are exposed to oxygen, an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which is present in avocados and many other fruits, changes the chemical structure of the phenols. This process results in the formation of melanin, a brownish-black pigment that is also found in humans. The avocado’s green flesh becomes brown as a result.
How to Prevent Avocados from Browning
According to Weintruab, avocados that have gone brown due to oxygen exposure are still edible even if they could taste bitter at this stage. They may also feel squishy as a result of chemical reactions brought on by oxygen, which is an additional unfavorable side effect. Keeping the meat away from direct contact with oxygen is essential for reducing the rate at which it browns. Many individuals use plastic wrap to preserve meat. However, you may substitute common home items if you want a less wasteful method. One technique is to squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice over the cut side of an avocado. Because of the acidity of the juice, polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme that prevents browning, is inhibited. Weintraub advises rubbing the avocado’s flesh with olive oil. Applying an oily layer between your fruit and the air will prevent browning.
After applying olive oil or lemon juice to the avocado flesh, Weintraub recommends storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for further protection. Further reducing polyphenol oxidase activity can be accomplished by adding a container and lowering the temperature. These components will help keep the avocado’s distinctive green color from fading. You should consume it as soon as possible because chopped avocados may only be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Research in the Journal of Food Science refutes the myth that leaving the pit in an avocado (or guacamole) prevents browning. This is regrettably not the case. The pit’s failure to prevent oxygen from accessing the flesh is the cause of this. To summarise, you should utilise one of the methods mentioned above to prevent the browning of avocados.
