Avocados (Persea americana)

Avocado Grove in Western Bay of Plenty –New Zealand

Avocado ( Persea americana)
• Member of the Lauraceae family
• Common names include Avocado, Alligator
Pear, Midshipman's butter, Vegetable butter,
Butter pear, Cura, Cupandra, Aguacate, Palta,
Abacate, and Avocatier
• Leaf and seed extracts have been used for a
variety of medical application, including
treatment of diarrhea and dysentery and as an
antibiotic
 Avocado varieties
• Guatemalan (Persea nubigena var.
guatamalensis L. Wms.),
• Mexican (P. americana var. drymifolia Blake),
• West Indian (P. americana Mill. var.
americana).
• Hybrid forms exist between all three types
Guatemalan vs. Mexican Varieties

UC Riverside
1856
Before 1850
Growing Avocados From Seed

Sense.datum.org

Stanley warren
Commercial Production
Grafting Avocados

Brokaw Nursery LLC

Leading Avocado producing countries in
2000 based on yield* of all varieties
• Mexico 939,118
• United States 164,500 *Numeric Figures in Metric
Tons
• Chile 100,000
• Spain 68,000
• South Africa 64,000
• Israel 53,400
• Australia 20,200
• New Zealand 14,000
-Calavo Growers
Leading Countries that consume imported
avocados are as follows:
• USA
• France
• Canada
• UK
• Germany
• Scandinavian Countries
• Japan
• Hong Kong

-Calavo Growers
Hawaiian Grown
Cultivars

Hass Avocado

- Accounts for more

than ¾ total grown
avocados worldwide
Avocado Harvest

Calavo Growers
Avocado Packing
Grove Maintenance

Orange County Libraries

Common Avocado Dishes
Avocado Products
 Health Benefits
• Avocados contain “good” unsaturated (mono-
and poly) fats that do not raise cholesterol
(80%) - Scientific Dietary Guidelines
• Excellent source of folate (folic acid), a B
vitamin that reduces the risk of serious types
of birth defects, heart disease, and cancers.
 Health Benefits
• “Avocados are believed to contain ounce for
ounce more protein, potassium, magnesium,
folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin,
pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin K
than any of the top 20 most frequently
consumed raw fruits.”
(Duester, K.C.)
 Top 20 Consumed Raw Fruits
• banana
• apple
• watermelon
• orange onion
• cantaloupe
• grape
• grapefruit
• strawberry
• peach
• pear
• nectarine
• honeydew melon
• plum
• avocado
Avocado 14th most consumed fruit
• lemon
• pineapple
• tangerine
• sweet cherry
• kiwi fruit
• lime
• Top 5 Fruits* for Vitamin E Content
(Per 100g Raw, Edible Portion Fruit) *Based on the 20 most frequently
consumed raw fruits in the United
• 1 - Avocado 4.31 IU
States
2 - Kiwifruit 1.67 IU
3 - Nectarine 1.33 IU
4 - Grapes 1.04 IU
4 - Peach 1.04 IU
• Source for data: UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
• Top 5 Fruits* for Lutein Content
(Per 100g Raw, Edible Portion Fruit)
• 1 - Avocado 293 mcg
2 - Plum 240 mcg
3 - Kiwifruit 180 mcg
4 - Pear 110 mcg
5 - Grapes 72 mcg
• Source for all data: UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and USDA Carotenoid Database.
• Top 5 Fruits* for Glutathione Content
Per 100g Raw, Edible Portion Fruit)
• 1 - Avocado 27.7 mg
2 - Lemon 8.7 mg
3 - Grapefruit 7.9 mg
4 - Nectarine 7.4 mg
4 - Peach 7.4 mg
• Source for all data: Jones DP, et. al. Nutrition & Cancer 17:57-75, 1992.
• Top 5 Fruits* for Beta-Sitosterol
Per 100g Raw, Edible Portion Fruit)
• 1 - Avocado 76 mg
2 - Orange 17 mg
3 - Cherries 12 mg
4 - Apple (w Peel) 11 mg
4 - Banana 11 mg
• Sources for data: Duester KC, JADA 101(4), 2001, and Weihrauch JL & Gardner JM, JADA 73(1), 1978.
Health Benefits

Nutritional label of an Avocado

 Sources of Lutein

• 70% total carotenoid

content in avocado has
been reported to be
lutein
• Other sources include
kale, spinach, oranges,
and tomatoes
 Proposed Roles
• There currently exists no concrete evidence
identifying lutein’s role and/or benefit to the
human body
• Current research is investigating lutein’s
possible contribution to:
– Eye health and reduced risk of associated age-
related diseases
– Prostate cancer
 Lutein and the Human Eye
• Lutein is believed to be
concentrated in the retina
and the lens of the eye
• Together with zeaxanthin,
lutein is responsible for
macular pigment
• The retina has a high
concentration of
unsaturated fatty acids
Lutein as an Antioxidant in Eye Health
Lutein is Fat Soluble

Lutein
 AREDS 2
• The oral supplement distributed to subjects
participating in the AREDS 2 study contains
lutein and Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Studies have highlighted fat’s integral role in
increasing bioavailability of carotenoids such
as lutein.
 Lutein and Prostate Cancer
• Lutein has also been implicated by recent
research to possess potential anti-
carcinogenic characteristics
• Specifically, in human prostate cancer cell
lines.
Glutathione: The “master antioxidant ”
Overview:
• What is Glutathione?
• Where is it found?
• Glutathione’s involvement with disease.
 What is Glutathione?
• Glutathione is a small protein Glutathione

tripeptide which contains the

three amino acids: cysteine,
glutamic acid, and glycine.

• The role of glutathione is to

protect cells from free radicals
and other toxins.
Properties

• Glutathione has many times been

described as the body’s, “master Molecular
C10H17N3O6S
formula
antioxidant” making it one of the
most important agents for
healing. Molar
307.325
mass
 What is Glutathione
• Glutathione is important as a
hydrophilic molecule that is
added to fat dissolving toxins,
called lipophilic toxins, and waste
in the liver during
biotransformation.
• Glutathione is responsible for the
reconstitution of vitamins C and E
after oxidation, and therefore is
very important to the function
and role of these antioxidant
vitamins.

• Glutathione is needed for the

detoxification of methylglyoxal,
which is a toxin produced during
the process of metabolism.
 Where is it found?
• It is created in the human cell but has
been found in the liver and lungs.

• The liver is the responsible organ

involved in detoxification and
elimination of harmful toxic materials
in the human body.

• The ability of a cell to make glutathione

is dependent on the supply of
glutathione materials, or glutathione
precursors, especially included is the
amino acid, cysteine.
 Where is it found?
• In foods dietary glutathione can be found in fresh or
frozen fruits and vegetables, fish, and other meats.
Particularly, asparagus, avocado, and walnuts are
shown to be foods that have larger sources of dietary
glutathione.
 Glutathione’s involvement with
disease.
• Low levels of glutathione have been found in individuals with degenerative
neurological diseases such as:
-multiple sclerosis
-ALS
-Alzheimer’s
-Parkinson’s disease
• Glutathione deficiency also is found in individuals suffering from:
-atherosclerosis
-pregnancy complications
-cancer
-low survival rates of AIDS patients
-immune system compromised individuals
 Glutathione’s involvement with
disease.
• Examples of some other health conditions that are
associated with glutathione deficiency include:
-diabetes
-low sperm counts in men
-liver disease
-cataracts
-respiratory distress syndrome
-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

• Cigarette smoking is associated with low glutathione

levels because it increases the rate of utilization of
glutathione.
 Glutathione’s involvement with
disease.
• Individuals with high levels of glutathione
have been found to have fewer incidents of:
-heart disease
-premature aging
-cancer
-AIDS
-other chronic diseases.
Questions?