Why you shouldn't store avocados in water
Why you SHOULDN’T store avocados in water in the fridge to prolong their life – after the ‘genius hack’ took the foodie world by storm
- A ‘genius’ way to prevent avocados from browning went viral on social media
- It involves placing cut or whole avocados in a jar of water to store in the fridge
- But information on residual human pathogens suggests the trick isn’t safe
- The surface of avocados in water could be the perfect environment for bacteria
Over the past few months foodies have praised a seemingly ‘genius’ hack claiming to prolong the life of an avocado.
The trick involves submerging half or an entire avocado in water and placing in the fridge to prevent it from turning brown.
But general information on residual human pathogens suggests the hack isn’t safe, as it may create the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to grow and could possibly lead to health implications.
A trick involving submerging whole or cut avocados in water and storing in the fridge has gone viral on social media. Foodies have praised a seemingly ‘genius’ hack claiming to prolong the life of an avocado
But general information on residual human pathogens suggests the hack isn’t safe, as it may create the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to grow and could possibly lead to health implications
Unlike common bacteria, residual human pathogens – including listeria and salmonella – thrive in the fridge and freezer.
Both listeria and salmonella are different types of awful food poisonings that can have detrimental health impacts.
According to Mayoclinic, these unwanted germs are most often caused by contaminated foods.
That being said, the bacteria might reside on the surface of an avocado and could potentially multiply when doused in water then placed in the fridge.
According to a study conducted by the Journal of Food Poisoning in America, submerging a whole avocado in water isn’t safe either.
‘In addition, research performed by FDA scientists has shown that Listeria monocytogenes has the potential to infiltrate and internalise into the pulp of avocados when submerged in refrigerated dump tanks within 15 days during refrigerated storage.
‘In this case, even surface disinfecting the avocado skin prior to slicing would not be able to remove the contamination.’
To prevent bacteria growing on the climacteric fruit, it’s best to avoid storing in water and keep in the fridge for no longer than a couple days.
Last year a dietitian revealed three additional ways to prevent avocados from turning brown.
Rebecca Gawthorne, from Sydney, Australia revealed you can use lemon, olive oil and even onion to stop the off-putting discolouration.
Sharing on her Nourish Naturally Instagram page the popular content maker told her fans to save the video for the next time they stock up on the fruit because the methods work so well.
‘The browning of an avocado is a natural chemical reaction called oxidisation that occurs when a cut avocado is exposed to oxygen in the air,’ she explained.
‘While it’s safe eat, brown avocados are not very aesthetically pleasing & can taste a bit bitter,’ she added.
Three ways to prevent cut avocados from turning brown:
– Squeeze lemon juice over avocado half
– Coat with olive oil
– Store avocado with red onion
Source: Nourish Naturally/Instagram
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