Evaluation of proposed CODEX purity standards for avocado oil

Abstract

Avocado oil is a high-value product with a growing industry. While facing the ongoing adulteration, standards are being developed with the effort being led by the international organization CODEX Alimentarius. Adequate standards need to accommodate natural variables while also minimizing the likelihood for undetectable adulteration. This study utilizes a comprehensive set of authentic samples for avocado oil and their chemical compositions were compared to proposed CODEX standards. The variables in this study included region, harvest time, cultivar, grade of fruit, and using whole fruit oil versus only mesocarp oil; the chemical parameters analyzed were fatty acids, sterols, and tocopherols. Fatty acids and sterols profiles were most impacted by region and harvest time. And although current standards are heading in the right direction fatty acid and delta-7-stigmastenol and delta-7-avenasterol stood out as parameters that need future research and adjustment. Tocopherols were significantly different for whole fruit oils compared to mesocarp oils which is an important finding that needs to be considered for avocado oil standard development.