Avocado (Persea americana) seed as a source of bioactive phytochemicals

 

Avocado (Persea americana) seed as a source of bioactive phytochemical

. 2013;19(34):6133-40.

doi: 10.2174/1381612811319340007.

Authors

Deepti Dabas1 , Rachel M Shegog, Gregory R Ziegler, Joshua D Lambert

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 332 Food Science Building, University Park, PA 16802. jdl134@psu.edu.

Abstract

The pulp of avocado (Persea americana, Lauraceae) has been reported to have beneficial cardiovascular health effects. Avocado oil is used for dermatological applications and its unsaponifiable portion is reported to have beneficial effects against osteoarthritis. Although the seed represents a considerable percentage of the total fruit, scientific research on the phytochemistry and biological effects of avocado seeds is in the nascent stages,. Currently, the seed represents an under-utilized resource and a waste issue for avocado processors. There is ethno-pharmacological information on the use of seeds for the treatment of health-related conditions, especially in South American countries where avocados are endemic and currently grown on a large scale. Current research has shown that avocado seeds may improve hypercholesterolemia, and be useful in the treatment of hypertension, inflammatory conditions and diabetes. Seeds have also been found to possess insecticidal, fungicidal, and anti-microbial activities. The avocado seeds and rich in phenolic compounds, and these may play a role in the putative health effects. Historically, extracts of avocado seeds were also used as ink for writing and research in our laboratory has explored the potential colorant properties of a polyphenol oxidase-produced colored avocado seed extract. Here, we review the currently-available data on the bioactivity and other functional properties of avocado seeds. We discuss the strength of the available data, the putative active compounds, and potential directions for future studies.

Similar articles

  • A colored avocado seed extract as a potential natural colorant.
    Dabas D, Elias RJ, Lambert JD, Ziegler GR. Dabas D, et al. J Food Sci. 2011 Nov-Dec;76(9):C1335-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02415.x. J Food Sci. 2011. PMID: 22416696
  • Bioactive Molecules From Native Mexican Avocado Fruit (Persea americana var. drymifolia):  
  • A Review.Ochoa-Zarzosa A, Báez-Magaña M, Guzmán-Rodríguez JJ, Flores-Alvarez LJ, Lara-Márquez M, Zavala-Guerrero B, Salgado-Garciglia R, López-Gómez R, López-Meza JE. Ochoa-Zarzosa A, et al. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2021 Jun;76(2):133-142. doi: 10.1007/s11130-021-00887-7. Epub 2021 Mar 11. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2021. PMID: 33704631 Review.
  • Avocado seeds (Persea americana Mill.) prevents indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in mice.
  • Athaydes BR, Alves GM, Assis ALEM, Gomes JVD, Rodrigues RP, Campagnaro BP, Nogueira BV, Silveira D, Kuster RM, Pereira TMC, Kitagawa RR, Gonçalves RCR. Athaydes BR, et al. Food Res Int. 2019 May;119:751-760. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.10.057. Epub 2018 Oct 22. Food Res Int. 2019. PMID: 30884712
  • Aqueous extracts of avocado pear (Persea americana Mill.) leaves and seeds exhibit anti-cholinesterases and antioxidant activities in vitro.
  • Oboh G, Odubanjo VO, Bello F, Ademosun AO, Oyeleye SI, Nwanna EE, Ademiluyi AO. Oboh G, et al. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2016 Mar;27(2):131-40. doi: 10.1515/jbcpp-2015-0049. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2016. PMID: 26812783
  • Effects of Avocado (Persea americana) on Metabolic Syndrome: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.
  • Tabeshpour J, Razavi BM, Hosseinzadeh H. Tabeshpour J, et al. Phytother Res. 2017 Jun;31(6):819-837. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5805. Epub 2017 Apr 10. Phytother Res. 2017. PMID: 28393409 Review.

Cited by

  • Avocado seed discoveries: Chemical composition, biological properties, and industrial food applications.
    Bangar SP, Dunno K, Dhull SB, Kumar Siroha A, Changan S, Maqsood S, Rusu AV. Bangar SP, et al. Food Chem X. 2022 Nov 11;16:100507. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100507. eCollection 2022 Dec 30. Food Chem X. 2022. PMID: 36573158 Free PMC article. Review.
  • Antifungal Activity of Avocado Seed Recombinant GASA/Snakin PaSn.
    Hernández-Martínez MA, Suárez-Rodríguez LM, López-Meza JE, Ochoa-Zarzosa A, Salgado-Garciglia R, Fernández-Pavia SP, López-Gómez R. Hernández-Martínez MA, et al. Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Nov 5;11(11):1558. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11111558. Antibiotics (Basel). 2022. PMID: 36358213 Free PMC article.
  • Biological Evaluation of Avocado Residues as a Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds.
    Rojas-García A, Fuentes E, Cádiz-Gurrea ML, Rodriguez L, Villegas-Aguilar MDC, Palomo I, Arráez-Román D, Segura-Carretero A. Rojas-García A, et al. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 May 25;11(6):1049. doi: 10.3390/antiox11061049. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35739946 Free PMC article.
  • The Enigmatic Aliphatic Acetogenins and Their Correlations With Lipids During Seed Germination and Leaf Development of Avocado (Persea americana Mill.).
    Colin-Oviedo Á, Garza-Aguilar SM, Marín-Obispo LM, Rodríguez-Sánchez DG, Trevino V, Hernández-Brenes C, Díaz de la Garza RI. Colin-Oviedo Á, et al. Front Plant Sci. 2022 May 3;13:839326. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.839326. eCollection 2022. Front Plant Sci. 2022. PMID: 35592561 Free PMC article.
  • Cytotoxicity Evaluation and Antioxidant Activity of a Novel Drink Based on Roasted Avocado Seed Powder.
    Pușcaș A, Tanislav AE, Marc RA, Mureșan V, Mureșan AE, Pall E, Cerbu C. Pușcaș A, et al. Plants (Basel). 2022 Apr 15;11(8):1083. doi: 10.3390/plants11081083. Plants (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35448810 Free PMC article.

LinkOut - more resources

KIB Logo
Tripal Logo
Drupal Logo