Comparative study of the physico-chemical and bioactive composition of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) seed flour from two varieties: commercial (Hass) and regional (Fuerte)

Agroeconomía

Abstract

The avocado industry generates substantial quantities of seeds as a byproduct. Although commonly discarded, avocado seeds constitute a valuable source of dietary fiber, lipids, and bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties, offering considerable potential for food applications. The production of avocado seed flour has emerged as a promising strategy for valorizing agro-industrial residues while developing novel functional ingredients. Accordingly, this study compared the physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant capacity of avocado seed flours obtained from two avocado (Persea americana Mill.) varieties: the commercial Hass cultivar and the regional Fuerte cultivar. The evaluated factors were cultivar and fruit maturity stage (13.7 and 5.8 °Brix for Hass and Fuerte, respectively). Fruit samples were collected from Bolívar Canton, Manabí Province, Ecuador. Avocado seeds were dried, milled, and sieved prior to determining pH, moisture, crude fiber, fat, ash, protein, carbohydrate contents, and antioxidant capacity using the ABTS assay. Data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, and Student’s t-test. Significant differences between cultivars were observed for pH, moisture content, fat, and ash contents (P<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were detected for crude fiber (P>0.083), carbohydrates (P>0.131), crude protein (P>0.100), or antioxidant capacity (P>0.098), indicating comparable functional attributes between the two flours. These findings suggest that cultivar type influences technological properties associated with acidity and moisture-related stability, whereas the functional contributions of dietary fiber and antioxidant compounds remain largely conserved. The observed equivalence supports the use of either cultivar as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds for the formulation of dietary supplements and functional foods.