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Overview:
Avocado oil is elite among cooking oils:
Avocado oil has the highest smoke point of all vegetable oils -- 520° F when refined. Avocado oil has a healthy, monounsaturated fat content (71%). It is very high, similar to that of olive oil. Avocado oil is extremely low in trans fatty acids.
Its health benefits are numerous. Studies have shown that avocado oil can reduce bad LDL blood cholesterol and lower the risk of coronary heart disease.
It also has a good nutritional value. When cold-pressed, avocado oil is rich in vitamins B, C and E as well as several minerals.
Ounce for ounce, avocados contain 60% more potassium than bananas.
Avocados are often misunderstood.
Because an avocado's pulp contains so much oil, and perhaps because all oil contains 9-calories per gram (255-calories per ounce), people sometimes think that avocados are unhealthy.
Actually, an avocado's oil is the healthy kind. It contains very little saturated fat. And the fruit provides added nutritional value.
Avocado cooking oil is versatile. It has a unique, mild flavor. It is used in salad dressings, dips, soups, marinades, baking, roasting and grilling.
Due to its high smoke point, avocado oil is also used for high temperature cooking.
Avocados are grown in many countries (such as Mexico, United States, Israel, South Africa, Spain, etc.).
Although the idea of extracting avocado oil is relatively new and probably originated in Australia or New Zealand, avocado oil is currently extracted in many countries, including the United States.
Avocado oil is extracted from the fruit's edible pulp that surrounds its large seed.
The pulp is dehydrated and then pressed (or chemically processed with solvents) to extract the oil.
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 Characteristics
| Fatty Acid Content |
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| Monounsaturated (MUFA): | 70.6% |
| Polyunsaturated (PUFA): | 13.5% |
| Saturated (SFA): | 11.6% |
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| Omega-3 (Linolenic; 18:3): | 1.0% |
| Omega-6 (Linoleic; 18:2): | 12.5% |
| Omega-9 (Oleic; 18:1): | 67.9% |
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| Palmitic (16:0): | 1.0% |
| Palmitoleic (16:1): | 12.5% |
| Stearic (18:0): | 67.9% |
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| Cooking |
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| Smoke Point: | 520° F |
| Taste: | Mild |
| Shelf Life: | Very good |
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| Plant |
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| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Genus: | Persea |
| Species: | americana, nubigena |
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Links
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Fruit of the Month: Avocado!
Excellent and fun overview. History, nutrition, selecting a ripe avocado, varieties and recipes.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/avocado.html
Purdue University: Avocado
Avocado plant, origin, varieties, pollination, climate, soil, propagation, marketing, storage, pests, oil, toxicity, uses and much more.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/avocado_ars.html
University of California - Agriculture and Natural Resources: Avocado Information
General avocado information, varieties, flowering, irrigation, phenology, rootstocks, conferences, links.
http://ucavo.ucr.edu/
California Avocado Commission:
A variety of information about avocados. Media, merchandising, food service, growers, commission.
http://www.avocado.org
Florida Museum of Natural History - Soltis Lab: Persea americana
Avocado plant from a scientific perspective.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/soltislab/FGP_Education/Persea.html
California Rare Fruit Growers: Avocado Fruit Facts
Avocado plant, culture and cultivars.
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html
USDA Nutrient Database
USDA Nutrient Database.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html
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