Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
When it becomes as black as Darth Vader, we tend to throw it in the trash! However, you can still eat avocado even when its skin ripens. In order to reduce waste, the University of California worked for half a century on a new variety. She leaves no room for doubt as to her maturity thanks to the color of her skin.
Avocado production is an ecological disaster. Its cultivation requires 1,000 liters of water to obtain just one kilo of fruit. Added to this heavy energy bill is that of transport when cargo ships transport tons of avocados carefully confined in an environment maintained at 6°C to prevent ripening. Last summer, Arina Shokouhi, a student at one of London’s prestigious art and design schools, worked on a rather stunning prototype for her final year project, reproducing everything we know about an avocado, from its skin to its green flesh using only mashed beans, rapeseed and potatoes. The skin was made of biodegradable wax. Code name: Ecovado.
The environmental problem of avocado cultivation is therefore a well-known reality. However, the cost to the planet of this consumption is worse than we might think when we include the cost of waste. How many times have you bought a hard avocado that ended up in the trash because it became too ripe? One of the keys to reducing the environmental impact of avocado production would be to help consumers better identify when they can eat it. And to do this, color is the best clue.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Luna, a new lawyer
Usually, the variety that we add to a poke bowl or that we spread on avocado toast is generally the “hass”. Dark in color, it becomes completely black without it being rotten. And that’s where the whole problem lies. This dark color causes many consumers to throw it in the trash, believing it to be completely outdated. In the United States, theuniversity of california (located in the state of the same name where most of the avocados consumed in the country are produced), has just developed a brand new variety. Over the past fifty years, Californian researchers have carried out crosses and tests on thousands of plantations to finally obtain a completely new type of avocado with a green color that leaves no doubt about its lack of maturity. In its official announcement, the University of Riverside explains: “It is called Luna and offers consumers excellent flavor, a rind that turns black when ripe and high post-harvest quality.”
The cultivation of this new variety of avocados is also supposed to be less impactful for the planet. Luna actually grows on smaller trees, planted more densely in smaller spaces. History unfortunately does not say whether this new avocado still needs as much water to grow… The fact remains that it is in the process of being patented and that several dozen producers outside the United States- United have already asked to plant it…
Slide: The 10 benefits of avocado