Consumer demand for avocados continues to grow, and the fruits’ nutritional value contributes to its popularity.  While the body of research on avocados is likewise growing, the flavor and sensory aspects of avocados are areas where scientists need a deeper understanding, in order to deliver a quality standard for the industry and explore varieties in addition to Hass that could be desirable to consumers.  Our research evaluates the flavor of Californian Hass and Gem avocados during the 2019 harvest season.  Avocados were harvested from one grower in Ventura County starting in February 2019 and will be harvested until August 2019, on an approximately monthly basis.  Analytical measures on the dry weight, moisture content by freeze drying and fat content by Soxhlet are collected at each harvest.  The changing composition of the oil is monitored with fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) analysis.  We expect the oil content and oleic acid content to reach a peak concentration during the mid-season and then taper back down.  Solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) extracts are collected and analyzed by gas chromatography olfactory (GCO) to identify the aroma active compounds, followed by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) to determine each compound’s relative importance.  We expect that more aroma-active compounds in avocado will be found in the fruit as the season progresses, along with increased concentrations of compounds formed from lipid breakdown.  We expect that the avocados will develop an undesirable, rancid-like off-flavor at the end of the season correlated with higher levels of lipid oxidation products.   Descriptive Analysis (DA) data collected over the harvest season will be used to identify and rate the key attributes of avocado.  Together, the fatty acid profile, aroma active compounds and sensory descriptive scores offer insights into the connection between molecular composition and the flavor experience.

Exploration of the compositional changes of Californian Hass and Gem avocados throughout the season and its effect on avocado flavor

2019 Fall National Meeting

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