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
Chile 100,000
Spain 68,000
South Africa 64,000
Israel 53,400
Australia 20,200
New Zealand 14,000
*Numeric Figures in Metric
Tons
-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 (monoand 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
lemon
pineapple
tangerine
sweet cherry
kiwi fruit
lime
Avocado 14th most consumed fruit
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Top 5 Fruits* for Vitamin E Content
*Based on the 20 most frequently
(Per 100g Raw, Edible Portion Fruit)
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
Sterols Found in Avocado
www.RSC.org
How Sterols
Work
- Involves the circulation of Bile
acids that are synthesized from
cholesterol in the liver to the small
intestine.
- Bile acids are required for
disposal of cholesterol and
absorption of fats and vitamins.
- 4 phase I enzymes involved
(CYP7a, CYP12, CYP27, CYP7B)
- 3 stage Process that modifies the
sterol ring
- Yields beta-sitosterol,
campesterol, and cholesterol
(Chiang, J)
-http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/reactio
n/terp/cholesterol.html
How Sterols Work (continued)
-
Cholic Acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), Together will form an amino
acid (glycine or taurine)
-
Taurine - Strengthens the heart muscle, boosts vision, and helps prevent macular
degeneration; is the key component of bile, which is needed for the digestion of fats; useful
for people with atherosclerosis, edema, heart disorders, hypertension, or hypoglycemia; is
vital for the proper utilization of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium; helps prevent
the development of potentially dangerous cardiac arrhythmias; has been used to treat
anxiety, epilepsy, hyperactivity, poor brain function, and seizures. - Austin Nutritional
Research
Glycine is a non-essential amino acid used by an organism to synthesise proteins and is
present in foods such as fish, meat or dairy products. The study, carried out at the Cellular
Metabolism Institute in Tenerife and at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology of the University of Granada , established that the direct intake of this substance as a
food additive helps to prevent arthrosis and other degenerative diseases, in addition to
other diseases related to a weakness in the mechanical structure of the organism, including
the difficulty of repairing physical injuries.
-
-
Will either be re-absorbed or excreted by the gut
Additional Cholesterol Information
http://www.indstate.edu/thcme/mwking/cholesterol.html
Phytosterols
• Derived from Sterols
• Found only in plants
• Naturally occurring hydrophobic and
hydrophilic lipids synthesized from Acetyl-CoA
enzymes
• Act as cholesterol lowering mechanisms and
have been used for the treatment of cancer,
gallstones, HIV and Tuberculosis
• Low lipid absorption
(Cork, Mills, Lu, Duester K,C.)
Phytosterols
• Beta-sitosterol most abundant Phytosterol in
avocado 76 mg/100g
• Campesterol 5.1 mg/100g
• Stigmasterol < 3 mg/100g
Duester K.C.
LUTEIN
Lutein Structure
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 agerelated 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 anticarcinogenic 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
tripeptide which contains the
three amino acids: cysteine,
glutamic acid, and glycine.
Glutathione
• 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
antioxidant” making it one of the
most important agents for
healing.
Molecular
formula
C10H17N3O6S
Molar
mass
307.325
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 needed for the
detoxification of methylglyoxal,
which is a toxin produced during
the process of metabolism.
• 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.
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?