Avocados make a much-diversified food item as you can use them in various meals. From plain toasts and sandwiches to salads and more, avocados can be used to give an instant uplift of taste to almost any dish.
What adds to the allure of this fruit is that it is known to be filled with healthy nutrients, which are very good for your wellbeing. As such, this ingredient is a central part of many popular shampoos, soaps, and face creams.
However, in some cases, you may notice a little reddening or red spots on your avocado, which may leave you wondering – why is my avocado red? Most of the time, this redness appears around the pit of the avocado, the internal flesh. And you may notice scattered red spots around the center of the fruit.
If you have seen similar signs on your tasty, green fruit, keep reading to find the answer to “why avocados turn red.”
Possible Causes of Why is Avocado Red
While most of the time, the redness occurs inside the center of the fruit, sometimes you may notice that the outside flesh is turning red. The exterior of an avocado turns red due to sunburn when the fruit has been kept on the plant for too long, and now it has over-ripened. The redness inside may also spread to the outside flesh of the fruit in some cases.
Let’s find out more about it and answer your query – why is my avocado red?
Tannin
If you see the flesh of the fruit inside your avocados turn red, it is no reason to throw away the whole avocado. The red avocado flesh is common; you shouldn’t worry about that.
Avocados turn red due to the “tannin” found in many plants, including avocados. Tannin is an entire class of biomolecules- mainly naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds which give a bitter taste to the fruit, especially when you cook avocado.
Tannin is not just present in the flesh inside the avocado but also the avocado seeds. This compound has a characteristic astringent taste, which is also why you experience a puckering sensation as you dig into an unripe fruit or drink red wine. This is because they can bind to and precipitate salivary proteins.
When the tannin comes into contact with certain enzymes, especially in the presence of air, they can cause red discoloration or the avocado flesh turns brown.
While tannin is present in both the avocado seed and flesh, only the seed has a high molecule concentration enough to create a red color in contact with oxygen. The seed of avocado contains about 13.6% tannin content.
Tannin is not exactly toxic to human beings, but it may be harmful to some animals, like goats. However, even in humans, tannin can cause issues of indigestion if consumed in very high amounts. ‘
It may impair the ability of your digestive system to absorb necessary nutrients. This is usually not an issue for people as tannin is quite bitter, making it unpleasant to consume in high concentrations.
Uses for tannin-rich liquid in avocado
If you go back in time, you will find that the bitter, milky liquid in avocados containing tannin was used as an ink. You may be able to look up some documents from the Spanish conquest of Central America and South America that were written in the dark red ink created from the tannin-rich liquid inside the flesh of an avocado.
Redness of the flesh of the fruit inside
Avocado flesh contains tannin content, though in smaller amounts compared to other sources like certain wines, teas, or oak. Red avocados may be due to the reason when avocado fruit comes in direct contact with oxygen.
For example, you may have used half of the avocado and left the other half lying around on the table, causing the avocado to come in contact with oxygen and resulting in the avocado turning red or brown.
When the flesh of the avocado is cut and exposed to air, the tannins can oxidize and sometimes cause a reddish or brownish discoloration. This is similar to how other fruits like apples or bananas brown upon exposure to air.
The enzyme responsible for this oxidation process in avocados is called polyphenol oxidase. When it interacts with tannins in the presence of air, you get the discoloration.
The pit of the avocado fruit contains a milky bitter liquid, which gives avocado its strong flavor. The flesh turns red or brown inside as soon as oxygen comes into contact with this tannin-rich liquid inside the avocado pit due to seed coat leaking or overripe avocdo.
The reason behind this is the presence of tannin in avocados pits in very high amounts.
Redness of avocado fruit on the skin outside
Red or dark brown spots do not appear on the flesh inside this fruit only, but you may also notice that the skin outside is turning brown or red.
The reasons both color changes are different. For the skin turning red, tannin does not play a part. If you leave avocados outside in the sun for too long, the skin of avocado turn red.
The leaves that are spread outside the fruit have the function of protecting the fruit from getting sunburnt. But there may be some places where the leaves cannot cover the fruit up, leading to the exposure of the skin to the sun rays. This can cause the avocado to turn brown or red from the outside.
The great news is that this change in color from the outside does not affect the inside of the fruit. It remains intact.
There may be no commercial value left for the sunburnt avocados, but they are completely edible and can be eaten from the inside.
Is there a way to restore red avocados?
I am afraid not. The redness happened because the fruit is overripe, and there is no way to take it back to its original form after this has happened. You can cut around the flesh that has turned red and eat the normal part. It would taste just fine.
However, you could be more cautious about the avocados in the future to prevent them from turning red. Don’t leave them in direct sunlight. Make sure the leaves are covering the fruit properly, or plant it somewhere out of the glare of direct sunlight.
You should also be mindful of not leaving the fruit cut in half lying around. Make sure to put it in the fridge in an airtight box if some part is left. Or use the entire avocado.
Tips to Ensure the Best Quality Avocados
- Check the Skin: The skin should be free from deep cracks, dents, or dark spots. These may indicate over-ripeness or internal damage. The color of the skin varies by variety; for example, Hass avocados turn from green to dark green or blackish when ripe.
- Gentle Pressure Test: Hold the avocado in the palm of your hand and apply gentle pressure. A ripe avocado should yield slightly under pressure but not feel overly soft or mushy. If it’s hard, it needs more time to ripen. If it’s very soft, it may be overripe.
- Examine the Stem: Remove the small stem or cap at the top. If it comes off easily and you see green underneath, the avocado is ripe. If you see brown, the avocado may be overripe.
- Avoid Large Soft Spots: While some softness indicates ripeness, a large mushy area can be a sign of bruising.
- Store Correctly:
Unripe Avocados: Store at room temperature until they ripen. To speed up the ripening process, place them in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple. These fruits release ethylene gas, a natural ripening agent.
Ripe Avocados: To extend their freshness, store ripe avocados in the refrigerator. This slows down the ripening process.
Cut Avocados: If you’ve cut an avocado and want to save the other half, keep the pit in, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate. The pit helps reduce exposure to air, which can cause browning.
- Limit Exposure to Air: When making guacamole or any avocado dish, consider adding a bit of lemon or lime juice. The citric acid helps slow down oxidation, preventing the avocado from turning brown quickly.
- Buy in Bulk with Different Ripeness Levels: If you consume avocados frequently, consider buying a mix of ripe and unripe avocados. This way, you can have a continuous supply of ripe avocados throughout the week.
FAQs
Is red avocados safe to eat?
Yes, red avocados are safe to eat. The redness sometimes seen in ripe avocados. It may be due to the milky liquid in the avocados seed leakage which contains high content of tannin content. While not harmful but the affected area might taste bitter.
Why is my avocado red bitter taste?
The redness in your avocado, accompanied by a bitter taste, may result from phenolics from the seed coat seeping into the flesh. While not harmful, these phenolics can impart a bitter flavor.
Conclusion
I hope this helps you understand the reason behind your query – why is my avocado red? You can now be more careful about keeping your avocados from turning red by taking some preventative measures. You could also use the normal flesh, which isn’t affected by redness. The red portion is not harmful, but it is bitter. So, be cautious.
Share any tips you have about keeping the avocados from turning red.