Assignment :

Object: to study the shelf life of avocado.

Avocado:
The avocado (Persea americana), a tree with probable origin in South Central Mexico, is classified as a
member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. Avocados are an important horticultural crop in South
Africa. It is a climacteric fruit which does not produce large amounts of ethylene on the tree and does not
ripen until it is harvested. Avocados can live more than 100 years, but they are very sensitive to cold and
may die if they experience freezing temperatures.

Fruit have four major physiological stages of development: growth, maturation, ripening and senescence.

The avocado exhibits a sharp rise in ethylene production during ripening, which occurs after harvest
mature avocado fruits will not ripen while attached to the tree. Avoid harvesting during wet weather as
fruit are more susceptible to skin damage and fungal diseases.

At Maturity :

Mature avocado fruits can be stored on the tree for as long as 8 months for the Hass variety and 2 months
for other types before picking. However, fruit is not ready for eating right off the tree. Once picked.

Maturity Indices:

Percent of dry matter is highly correlated with oil content and is used as a maturity index in California
and most other avocado production areas; minimum dry matter required ranges from 19 to 25%,
depending on cultivar (, it must sit at room temperature for one to two weeks to become fully ripe and
edible.

Quality Indices:

Size (range of consumer preference); shape (cultivar-dependent); skin color; freedom from defects such
as misshapen, sunburn, wounds and skin blemishes (rubs, insect damage, hail, and wind scars), rancidity
and flesh browning; and freedom from disease, including anthracnose and stem-end rot.

Some cultivars are held on the tree for extended periods after achieving horticultural maturity. On-tree
storage may result in development of off-flavors or rancidity with overmaturity. Off-flavors may also
develop when fruit are harvested during periods of hot weather.
Optimum Temperature:

5-13°C (41-55°F) for mature-green avocados, depending on cultivar and duration. 2-4°C (36-40°F) for
ripe avocados.

Optimum Relative Humidity:

90-95%

Mature fruit has the following characteristics.

fruit stem becomes more yellow

when the fruit is cut and the seed is re

moved, the seed coat is dry and does not stick to the flesh, it is a dark brown colour

dark-skin varieties will show a change from green to purple.

Method for harvesting: Fruit is hand-harvested from trees when mature using an array of picking aids.
Harvest the largest fruit at the first pick. On the larger orchards, trees are harvested with the aid of
hydraulic ladders (cherry pickers) while on the smaller properties picking poles are used to reach fruit.

At Ripening:
During avocado fruit ripening, there is an increase in the concentration of glucose and fructose. In
addition to these monosaccharides, avocado also contains several unusual sugars including the seven-
carbon sugar alcohol, perseitol, and its reduced form, d-manno-heptulose. Humidity. The optimal
humidity avocados should be ripened at is 90-95%.

Avocados are actually fruit, they are best kept in the refrigerator drawer that is marked for fresh produce.
Once avocados are ripe, keeping them in the refrigerator will make them last several days longer. If they
are left on the counter, they will continue to ripen. If your avocado is not yet ripe

After harvesting there are little bit changes occur on size but no changes occur on color because green
color of avocado is appealing and desirable.

Carbon Dioxide. During ripening, carbon dioxide will build up. Anything above 1% may slow the
ripening process or cause a “checkerboard” ripening within the room. Ensure automatic ventilation is in
place or vent approximately every 12 hours by opening the doors for twenty minutes when applying
ethylene.

Pulp Temperature. Pulp temperature should be checked at least twice per day to ensure proper ripening
is maintained. Ripened fruit may have the stem end become more pliable indicating the softness process
has begun. Once the desired degree of firmness has been reached, lower the pulp temperature to 40-42°F.
Firmness. Ripening stages should be determined using a penetrometer. We recommend using QA
Supplies’ FT 444 Penetrometer for fruits that measure more than 27lbs. Pressure measurements below
ensure better tasting, more flavorful avocados within each ripening stage.

In avocado, the percentage of dry matter in the fruit depends on the cultivar and the time of harvest and it
is an indicator of fruit maturity and oil content

postharvest ripening, comprising the softening of the mesocarp and improvement of organoleptic
properties taking place only after the detachment of the fruit.

During ripening, reflecting the increase in the ripening enzymes, particularly cellulase and
polygalacturonase. The oil content fluctuated slightly during ripening.

There are 5 basic stages of avocado ripening:

Stage 1: Hard Fruit – Fruit is extremely hard and a brighter green color (25 lbs. of pressure or more).

• Stage 2: Pre-Conditioned – Fruit should be ready to eat in about three days if held in room temperature
(15-25 lbs of pressure).

• Stage 3: Breaking – Fruit will have a very slight give and be ready-to-eat in two days if held at room
temperature (10-15 lbs of pressure).

• Stage 4: Firm Ripe – Fruit yields to gentle pressure and should be fully ripe the next day if held at room
temperature (5-10 lbs of pressure).

• Stage 5: Ripe – The stem nub of the fruit should easily fall off by gently rolling a finger over it. Fruit is
good for any use at this stage and easily yields to gentle pressure. This condition is maintained for 2-3
days if held at room temperature (5 lbs or less pressure).

The response of avocado to storage temperatures varies according to temperature ranges, as follows:

10 to 25°C: the fruit softens faster as storage temperature increases.

5 to 8°C: softening is controlled, and it will only occur if the fruit is transferred to higher temperatures.

0 to 4°C, softening at these temperatures is limited by time, due to the risk of chilling injury. However
recommended storage conditions may vary according to the avocado variety (as shown in the table below)

Physiological disorders decrease when temperatures are kept at 7.5<°C at the beginning of storage, and
then are lowered to 3.5°C, instead of maintaining 5.5°C the whole time.
At Senescence stage:

The shelf life of avocado is 5-6 days if you provide safe environment to them. Fatty acid content is highly
present in avocadoes necessary to prevent from light and very high temperature otherwise it respire
rapidly produce ethylene and the avocadoes goes to the senescence stage quickly then its Will feel soft
like a tomato and will not have that slight firmness when held When cut, the inner flesh may appear dark
or brown throughout. If the browning is only in certain spots, this is known as bruising and is not an
indicator of the fruit being overripe Smell rancid they have the beginnings of mold starting to form .Color
of avocado will be dark and texture will be soft.

An unripe avocado lasts about 3 days to a week at room temperature until ripens. Once it has matured, it
can last another 3 to 5 days at peak quality in the fridge. After that, the fruit will become overripe, and
there will be brown spots that grow over time. An overripe avocado will often display some of the
following characteristics .A mushy dented outer skin.

Conclusion:

Avocados are a stone fruit with a creamy texture that grow in warm climates. Avocado is the
only fruit that provides a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA).
Avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals.
Avocados can live more than 100 years, but they are very sensitive to cold and may die if they
experience freezing temperatures. Fruit have four major physiological stages of development:
growth, maturation, ripening and senescence. Different factors can effect on it some are
responsible for quickly ripen such as respiration and ethylene rate if store at high temperature,
light, very low temperature etc.