Laboratory preparation and evaluation of Pollock variety avocado (Persea americana Mill) guacamole

• Published in: Journal of the science of food and agriculture Vol. 87; no. 11; pp. 2068 - 2074
• Main Authors: Ramtahal, G.A, Akingbala, J.O, Baccus-Taylor, G.S.H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 30.08.2007; Wiley; John Wiley and Sons, Limited
• Subjects: ascorbic acid; ash content; avocado guacamole; avocados; Biological and medical sciences; carbohydrate content; chemical; Cold storage; color; cultivars; fiber content; food composition; Food industries; food microbiology; food storage; foods; Fruits; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; lipid content; microbiological; Pathogens; Persea americana; physical; physical properties; protein content; recipes; Salmonella; Sensory perception; sensory properties; shelf life; soluble solids; Staphylococcus aureus; storage quality attributes; storage time; temporal variation; texture; titratable acidity; water content; Evaluation; avocado guacamole; Persea americana; microbiological; Laboratory; storage quality attributes; Warehousing; chemical; Dicotyledones; Preparation; Quality; Angiospermae; Avocado; Food preservation; Spermatophyta; Lauraceae; physical; Variety
• ISSN: 0022-5142; 1097-0010
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2965

Guacamole was produced from ripe avocado (Persea americana) by blending the pulp with local herbs, spices and salt. The guacamole was stored at 5 °C for 2 weeks, during which physical, chemical and microbial analyses were conducted. Organoleptic evaluations by a semi-trained panel were also performed, until the guacamole was deemed unfit for human consumption. The results indicated that fresh avocado pulp contains 835, 13, 16, 92, 44, 16 and 0.078 g kg-1, moisture, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, and vitamin C respectively, and has a pH of 6.7; compared with 838, 13, 16, 92, 44, 16, and 0.042 g kg-1, respectively, of the same nutrients in freshly prepared guacamole, which has a pH of 6.0. During storage, the moisture content, consistency, total soluble solids and total titratable acidity (as citric acid) of the guacamole increased, but the vitamin C content decreased. The color of the avocado pulp, which darkened during conversion into guacamole, darkened further as storage increased as evidenced by a decrease in the L, a and b values. Sensory evaluation revealed that the mean storage period (5 °C) for the guacamole was 6 days. Although the fresh avocado pulp, the freshly prepared guacamole, and the stored guacamole contained bacteria, yeasts and molds, the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella were absent.