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Avocado

Avocado is a fruit which belongs to the Lauraceae family, originally found in Mexico and later spread in several places in South and Central America South and Central Africa as well as along the Mediterranean coast. The fruit is exceedingly variable in shape, size and colour. The form varies from round to pear-shaped with a long slender neck, the colour being from green to dark purple. Avocado comprises, in a known manner, particular lipids of furan type, the main component of which is a linoleic furan. The fruit has a greenish or yellowish flesh, of buttery consistency and rich nutty flavour containing about 20 to 25% oil, 65-70% water and about 10% dry matter (all percentages being by weight). Generally the fruit composition by weight is about 65% flesh and 35% skin and seed. In addition to the oil, the avocado contains a small amount of about 1.5% by weight of oil of unsaponifiable matter, as a distinct fraction, which by itself is a very valuable component useful in many creams and medicated ointments. The fruit of the avocado is generically referred to as "avocado" or as "an avocado" herein. This principally comprises avocado oil, seed, skin, fruit pulp and water. Avocado oil comprises a significant proportion of the fruit of the avocado. The oil itself has many uses, among them as an ingredient in salad dressings, in various foods, in cosmetics, and in the manufacture of soap. Various free fatty acids and vitamins are also found in the avocado.

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