Unsaponifiable matter, total sterol and tocopherol contents of avocado oil varieties

Abstract

Four varieties (Zutano, Bacon, Fuerte, Lula) of avocado ( Persea americana ) have been investigated for their unsaponifiable matter (UM) in mature and immature fruits. The UM content in crude oil was always higher in immature fruits (15–40% vs. 4–9%). The UM was fractionated by high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of total sterols and tocopherol. The sterol content in the oil was always higher in immature (1.1–6.2%) than in mature (0.8–2.0%) fruits. The tocopherol content differed with the varieties (10.2–25.0 mg/100 g UM), and the levels in the oil were higher in immature (20.1–45.6 mg/100 g oil) than in mature (5.7–10.3 mg/100 g oil) fruits.