The current market has very high standards and fresh avocados with imperfections and/or odd-sizes are usually rejected. The exotic fruit also requires special handling because its high oil content readily becomes rancid and oxidises easily. This is why improved methods of preservation are becoming increasingly more interesting for avocado growers, and are creating a lot of new opportunities for food processors.
"The market is very particular when it comes to the avocado. Avocados require special handling because they start to ripen immediately after the harvest and they turn bad very quickly. If they are not consumed at the right time, the high concentration of healthy fats and natural oils makes them rancid very fast. Which is why many avocado growers and processors are turning to IQF freezers as a method of preservation to keep up with the fast ripening process of the avocado." shared Carmen Popescu from Swedish based company OctoFrost.
The most popular avocado variety around the world is the Hass variety, making up 80% of the worlds production. Carmen said that this is because of the fact that it produces fruit year round, plus they are more easily preserved than other varieties, also making them the perfect avocado for processors along with fresh suppliers.
"We believe that the design of our IQF freezers are perfect to handle a delicate fruit like the avocado. Our tunnel freezer has 5 separate freezing zones, frequency inverter controlled motors, removable bedplates, a pulsator and a vibrating bed, which freezes each piece of avocado individually without damage or lumps. It's one of the very few types of technologies that is able to provide remarkable results in preserving the natural appearance, creamy texture, color and buttery flavor of IQF avocado." said Popescu.
For more information:
Carmen Popescu
OctoFrost Group
Tel: +46 (0) 735 188 652
Email: carmen.popescu@octofrost.com
www.octofrost.com