Did your avocado ripen too quickly or did you wait too long to eat it? The brown spots that appeared on the flesh are probably harmless. We’ll guide you through whether you can still eat it, after these few quick checks.
Avocado, an almost unique fruit
Avocado is one of the only fruits to contain so much fat. Of course, it is a “good fat”, like that found in other oilseeds such as almonds or hazelnuts. Its fats are called “good” because they are unsaturated and rich in fiber and vitamins E, B6 and B9. Described as essential to the body, which cannot produce them itself, these “unsaturated” fatty acids are part of the constitution of our cells. Only a diet rich in these acids can therefore allow the production of certain hormones in our body, even reducing our cholesterol. As you will have understood, avocado is ideal for stocking up on good nutrients, so it would be a shame to get rid of it so quickly.
When is my avocado really good to throw in the trash?
Just like wilted vegetables, make sure there’s still hope for your avocado to make it to the plate. As a rule of thumb, unless you notice black spots and signs of mold when you cut it, your fruit is safe.
On the other hand, if the avocado is soft to the touch, looks like a deflated and lumpy rugby ball; its skin has blackened; its flesh is stringy; or its flavor or odor is unpleasant to the point of bordering on chemical, do not count on it to nourish you at your next meal.
How does this happen? It is simply the natural ripening process of the fruit, when prolonged contact with air causes the unsaturated fats in the fruit to break down. This “rancidity” process can even lead to the formation of toxins in the fruit and make you sick.
Prevent Avocado From Rotting With This Trick
To slow down the ripening process of an avocado, nothing could be simpler, sprinkle it with lemon juice and isolate it in kraft paper, away from oxygen. While the acidity of the lemon will delay the browning of its skin and flesh, depriving it of too much access to ambient air will slow down its ripening.
On the contrary, if the avocado you just bought is actually too hard to eat before three days but you really want to use it, place it near bananas. The latter will speed up its ripening process, thanks to its ethylene, a plant hormone self-produced in the banana, which allows both the respiration of its tissues and the continued ripening of the fruit and that of the foods nearby.
