Fats & oils
The global avocado oil market is set for significant growth, with forecasts predicting a rise of $516.45m from 2023 to 2027.
avocados,” he explains. Yet the oil’s properties differ depending on its grade: extra virgin, virgin or refined. Those explained above are for extra virgin oils. “The real mark of quality is extra virgin or virgin,” Shah says. “That defines the production process and the temperature you’re running at.” Extra virgin avocado oil is produced at lower temperatures – around 45–50ºC – where high-quality avocados are pressed with the seed and skin removed. Because no excess heat or chemicals are used, the taste, smell, colour and nutritional properties of the avocado are preserved, Shah explains. “The same fat you find in eating an avocado is still present in the oil, without damaging anything.” Virgin oil is produced the same way, but with avocados that are slightly overripe. The resulting oil may also have higher free fatty acid content – a marker of degradation or spoilage. For this reason, extra virgin is considered better quality, though both are more beneficial for health than refined oil, Shah argues. With refined oils, the entire fruit is first crushed – skin, seed and all – creating what is called crude avocado oil. This has a strong smell and bitter taste, and is very dark in colour. It is then put through a series of processes that can include heat treatment, deodorising, bleaching and more, he explains. The result is a neutral oil that loses its natural smell, taste, colour, flavour and has diminished nutritional value, yet it has a higher smoke point.
Greener growing
Because avocados need a lot of water to grow, concerns have been raised around the sustainability of making their oil. Here, the scale and strategies of production can make a big difference in reducing its environmental footprint. Olivado, who make cold- pressed extra virgin avocado oil, work directly with their farmers to reduce their impact. “We train the
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farms to be climate smart,” says Aird. For instance, using collected rainwater for the avocado tree seedlings. The company also helps farmers to become organically certified and has a biofuel facility in Kenya, which has a circular economy, she explains. “Any waste is converted into energy to power the factory and trucks, and the by-product then goes back under trees as rich fertiliser.” And in Kenya, around 70% of avocados are grown by smallholder farmers, adds Shah. Rather than irrigate their farms – which often means tapping water from natural sources like dams while creating significant water wastage – they would rely on rainwater. This makes them more sustainable than big commercial operations, he says. “The majority of the olives that are grown in the Mediterranean are all grown by large-scale commercial farms, and they do irrigate, and they do use quite a lot of water.”
Plus, he adds, smallholder farmers do not tend to monocrop, which is the practice of growing a single crop on the same land, year after year. This can upset the soil’s natural balance, depleting its nutrients and biodiversity. Though, that said, not all avocado farming is done in this way. “If we start comparing it to avocado growing in Mexico, they’re using large-scale commercial farms, which do need a lot of water in terms of irrigation,” says Shah. If demand for avocado oil keeps growing, scaling production sustainably will certainly be a challenge for the industry to grapple with.
The new olive oil? Could avocado oil usurp olive oil’s position as the best-known ‘healthy’ fat? It has a similar nutritional profile to olive oil, says Parker, so either are a good option in switching out saturated fats. She wouldn’t necessarily say that one is ‘healthier’ than the other, however. Avocado oil is also typically a bit more expensive than olive, with extra virgin and virgin varieties being dearer than refined. That might prevent more people from using it for cooking, rather than just dressing and dips.
Still, both Aird and Shah predict that demand will continue to rise in the coming years. Most of this growth will probably be driven by refined avocado oils rather than virgin, adds Shah. “But as people really understand the products… and research around extra virgin versus refined does come out there, I think they will start shifting.” Choosing a healthier oil may seem like a small change, but it is not at all, explains Shah – after all, most dishes are cooked with some kind of fat. If you use the better oil each time you cook, the health benefits will add up in the long run. ●
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