Avocado Oil

About This Product

Avocado oil is pressed from the fleshy pulp, or mesocarp, of the fruit of Persea americana. That makes it unusual among plant oils, as most are pressed from seeds or kernels. It carries the INCI name Persea Gratissima Oil. Cold-pressed virgin grades keep a green colour from chlorophyll and a grassy flavour, while refined grades are bleached and deodorised to a pale, neutral oil. About 65 to 70 percent of its fatty acids are oleic acid, the same monounsaturated acid that dominates olive oil, with palmitic and a smaller linoleic fraction making up the balance. Monounsaturated chains carry only one double bond for oxygen to attack, so the oil resists rancidity better than polyunsaturated soft oils. Refining also strips the free fatty acids and pigments that smoke first, which is why refined avocado oil tolerates frying near 250 degrees Celsius while virgin grade smokes far lower. In food manufacture it is used for high-heat frying and roasting, in dressings and mayonnaise, and as a premium blending oil. In personal care its unsaponifiable fraction, rich in phytosterols and vitamin E, makes it a spreadable emollient for creams, lotions, hair conditioners and lip products. Virgin grade carries its colour and flavour into the finished product, so grade choice matters. Bio Green Oils and Fats supplies refined and cold-pressed avocado oil against an agreed specification covering free fatty acid, peroxide value, colour, moisture and odour.