Sicilian avocado is the perfect synthesis between the growing passion for a fruit considered healthy – a 'superfruit' – thanks to its bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, vitamins, fiber, and fatty acids, and the perennial attraction to Made in Italy. (1)
Sicilian avocado, the Tropics in Italy
The avocado (Persea gratissima o Persea americana Mill.) is a tropical plant native to Central and South America. Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic are the world's leading producers. The crop is profitable and in Mexico, in the state of Michoacán, which produces 75% of Mexican avocados, it is causing deforestation, excessive exploitation of local water resources and environmental pollution due to the excessive use of pesticides, reports the organization Grain. (2.3)
In Europe, Spain and Greece are the largest producers of avocado. Followed by Southern Italy, especially Sicily, which has been engaging in tropical crops for some years. (4)
The production of avocado Made in Sicily – where harvesting goes from October to May depending on the variety – is estimated by Ismea at one to two million kg per year. A growing share, but still minimal compared to imports from Spain and non-EU countries (Israel primarily), which reached 45 million kg in 2018 and grew by a further 4% in the first half of 2023. (5)
From Sanremo to Sicily
The introduction of avocado in Italy dates back to 1909 in Sanremo, but it is in the Sicilian territory that this plant has found an ideal habitat. The favorable pedoclimatic conditions of the island, exacerbated by climate change, favor its cultivation especially in the coastal areas of Ionian Sicily, where citrus groves previously dominated. (6)
These areas They are characterized by temperatures suitable for avocado cultivation (4-20 °C), loose and limestone-poor soils, and availability of good quality water. The varieties most suitable for this area are Hass, Reed, and Bacon.
Avocado, botanical notes
The tree of the avocado belongs to the family of Lauraceae and reaches medium-large dimensions, 9-20 meters in height.
The leaves are 7-41 cm long and have variable shapes (elliptical, oval, lanceolate). They are often covered with fine hairs (pubescent) and reddish when young, becoming smooth, leathery, and dark green when mature. The flowers, small and greenish-yellow, give rise to pear-shaped fruits with a large central seed.
The fruit has a shape that varies from spherical to pear-shaped and can weigh up to 2.3 kg, although the Sicilian one is usually small, suitable for single-portion consumption. Its outer part (exocarp) has varying thickness and consistency. When ripe, it turns green, or black, purple, or reddish, depending on the variety.
A creamy and nutritious superfruit
The fruit is a berry consisting of a single large seed surrounded by buttery, creamy, and nutritious pulp with an interesting nutritional profile. 100 g of avocado contain, among other things,
- 23 g of lipids composed as follows
– 2.48% saturated fats (in the form of palmitic acid),
– 18.33% monounsaturated fatty acids in the form of palmitoleic acid and, above all, oleic acid, also present in extra virgin olive oil, thus qualified in 2018 by the FDA (USA) as helpful in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (7),
– 1.45% polyunsaturated fatty acids (in the form of linoleic acid and, in smaller amounts, alpha-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid),
- 18 mg of vitamin C,
- 14 μg of vitamin A,
- 6.4 mg of vitamin E,
- 450 mg of potassium, more than in bananas. (8)
When to avoid consuming avocado
Beneficial, although somewhat caloric (238 kcal per 100g), avocado is nevertheless not recommended in cases of particular drug treatments or allergies. The powerful fruit can indeed:
– reduce the anticoagulant effect of the drug warfarin (brand name Coumadin)
– trigger a reaction in individuals allergic to latex, bananas, melons, peaches, chestnuts, tomatoes, potatoes and kiwi. (9)
From guacamole to cosmetics
The success of avocado among consumers is evidenced by its use in every sector:
– the fresh fruit is consumed as is, added to salads or spread on bread, as well as used to prepare guacamole sauce,
– the oil extracted from the pulp (Avo oil) is used like other vegetable oils, as well as employed in the production of cosmetics (shampoos, creams, lotions, etc.), as it is moisturizing and nourishing,
– a recent study (Tinebra et al., 2023) proposes drying and dehydration of the pulp and the production of avocado flour from Hass and Fuerte cultivars. Avocado flour, rich in healthy fatty acids, can be used as an alternative ingredient in a variety of food preparations, enhancing their nutritional value. (10)
Marta Strinati and Gabriele Sapienza
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo, Marta Strinati. Food consumption in Italy, the Immagino 2019 report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.7.20
(2) The avocados of wrath. Grain 4.5.23 https://grain.org/e/6985#_edn36
(3) Bhore, Subhash & Salgado, Daniela & Houssari, Amina & Zelaya, Angela & Yang, Ru & Chen, Zixin & Deeya, Sarah & Sens, Sheila & Schumann, Margherita & Zhang, Zihan & Eltantawy, and. (2021). The Avocado (Persea americana Mill.): A Review and Sustainability Perspectives. DOI:10.20944/preprints202112.0523.v1
(4) Marta Strinati. Tropical fruits Made in Italy, it's a boom. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 19.8.19
(5) Tropical fruit increasingly present in Italians' purchasing habits. 7.12.23. Ismea https://www.ismeamercati.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/12867
(6) F. Calabrese, M. Azzena, F. Barone, G. Continella, R. D’Ascanio, P. Deidda, A. De Michele, O. Insero, B. Mincione, G. La Rosa, S. Martelli, F. Monastra, G. Ondradu, M. Pala, M. Poiana, A. Rotundo, G. Russo, G. Terranova, A. Testoni. Research on Avocado in Italy. Project “Tropical and Subtropical fruit trees species” Proceedings of The World Avocado Congress III, 1995 pp. 457 – 460 Publication n. 611 http://209.143.153.251/WAC3/wac3_p457.pdf
(7) Dario Dongo. Oleic acid and prevention of coronary diseases, go-ahead in USA. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade), 2.12.18
(8) Food composition table. Fresh avocado. CREA. https://www.alimentinutrizione.it/tabelle-nutrizionali/007490
(9) Avocado. IRCCS Humanitas Encyclopedia https://www.humanitas.it/enciclopedia/alimenti/frutta/avocado/
(10) Ilenia Tinebra, Roberta Passafiume, Alessandra Culmone, Pasquale Roppolo, Alessandro Ruggeri, Raimondo Gaglio, Nicola Francesca, Eristanna Palazzolo, Vita Di Stefano, Vittorio Farina. Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences – University of Palermo, Avocado flour: a new product obtainable from waste fruits. XIV Scientific Days SOI 73 https://www.gssoi2023.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Acta-Italus-Hortus-28.pdf#page=125
Professional journalist since January 1995, has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of investigative reports on food, she published the book 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
Graduate in Agriculture, with experience in sustainable agriculture and permaculture, laboratory and ecological monitoring.
