You can’t go wrong with avocados, whether you’re serving burritos or topping up some toast. In addition to being flexible and tasty, they’re also a great source of important nutrients. The problem is that they’re very picky about their preferences. Avocados become blackish-brown in a flash when chopped or mashed. Other than eating them as soon as you see them, how can you keep discolored avocados fresh? Learn how to keep prevent from brown spots in avocado so you can enjoy your guacamole and eat it, too, in the next section of this article.
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Avocados become brown for a plenty of reasons.
According to chef and creator of Gracefully Fed, Traci Weintraub: “Avocados become brown when their flesh comes into contact with oxygen. The following is a brief introduction to the subject of physics: Avocado flesh is rich in phenols (a plant component) and polyphenol oxidase (an enzyme). An enzyme is a protein that acts as a catalyst for chemical processes. Polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme found in avocados and many other fruits, alters the chemical structure of phenols when they are exposed to oxygen. Melanin, a brown-black pigment that is also present in humans, is formed in this process. Because of this, the avocado’s green flesh becomes brown.
How to Keep Avocados From Turning Brown
Avocados that have turned brown owing to oxygen exposure are still edible, according to Weintruab, despite the fact that they may taste harsh at this point. Aside from their unattractive appearance, they may also have a mushy feel due to oxygen-induced chemical reactions, which is another undesirable side effect. The key to slowing the browning process is to keep the meat out of direct contact with oxygen. To preserve the meat, many people use plastic wrap. However, if you’d like a less wasteful way, you may use ordinary household materials instead. Fresh lemon or lime juice squeezed on the sliced side of an avocado is one method. Polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme that stops browning, is inhibited by the acidity of the juice. Weintraub recommends using olive oil to coat the avocado’s flesh. You may avoid browning by applying an oily barrier between your fruit and the air.
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. Adding a container and keeping the temperature lower can help slow down polyphenol oxidase activity even further. These elements will aid in the preservation of the avocado’s signature green hue. However, keep in mind that chopped avocados may only be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days, so you’ll want to consume it as soon as possible.
The idea that keeping the pit in an avocado (or guacamole) delays browning is false, according to a study published in the Journal of Food Science. Unfortunately, this is not the case. This is due to the pit’s inability to keep oxygen from penetrating the flesh. To sum it up, if you want to keep your avocados from turning brown, you should use one of the ways listed above.
