Argentine food engineers claim to have developed a new processing method that enables avocado to be canned without losing any of the nutrients.
The quality of the avocado diminishes when it undergoes the freezing process, which takes place during its transportation. Engineers Diego Prieto and Martin Cecchini were concerned that complications such as chilling injury meant that the nutritional value of the fruit was affected negatively.
The standard canning process, which ordinarily allows food and its nutritional quality to be preserved safely, cannot be used with the avocado due to its high natural oil content and the presence of the polyphenoloxidaze enzyme. The engineers found that when an organic acid was added to the canning solution, an unpleasant ‘buttery’ or acidic taste developed.
To avoid this, Pietro and Cecchini developed a process whereby the avocado is given a new coating and then combined with an antioxidant pre-treatment process. A low temperature preservation process is then used to produce a final result that has a shelf life of at least six months.
For more information, contact dieprieto@gmail.com
