The Ultimate Guide to Keep Your Avocado Fresh

How to keep your avocados fresh is a common question among lovers of this creamy fruit. One dedicated enthusiast decided to put this to a thorough test, trying out several popular methods found online, as reported today by Walla.

Avocados are typically enjoyed when soft but are commonly sold hard. This presents two problems: they may take too long to ripen, or they become too ripe and lose freshness. Additionally, there’s another issue: storing half an avocado in the fridge can lead it to turn brown quickly.

This avocado lover tried four methods sourced online, with only one proving successful. "I bought four packs of avocados on January 14th and placed them in the fridge as soon as I got home," he explained, "12 days later, on January 26th, I took two avocados from the pack and placed them in a fruit bowl - the avocados were still firm because the fridge slowed the ripening process. Positioned next to another fruit bowl containing bananas - a fruit known to emit ethylene gas that speeds up ripening - by January 30th, the avocados were completely ripe. I cut one in half and stored each half differently in the fridge on the same shelf. After 10 days, only one storage method successfully kept the avocado entirely green."

Ziplock Bag

Day 1: Half an avocado, with the pit still in, was placed in a ziplock bag and moved to the fridge.
Day 2: The inside had already turned brown.
Days 3/4: Still brown inside.
Day 5: Visible signs of white mold appeared. This avocado half was discarded.

Plastic Wrap

Day 1: Half an avocado without the pit was wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge.
Day 2: Small areas inside the avocado showed browning.
Days 3/4: More browning occurred inside.
Day 5: The top layer was brown but edible.

Avocado Storage Container

Day 1: Half an avocado without the pit was placed in an avocado storage container and placed in the fridge.
Day 2: Small brown areas appeared inside.
Days 3/4: The browning increased inside.
Day 5: The top layer of flesh was brown but edible.

Lemon Juice and Airtight Plastic Container

Day 1: Half an avocado without the pit was drizzled with lemon juice, placed in an airtight container, and put in the fridge.
Day 2: The inside remained completely green.
Days 3/4: Still entirely green inside.
Day 5: Interior still green.
Day 7: The inside stayed green - slightly browning only where the pit originally was. This was likely because the lemon juice did not reach this area.
Day 10: Most of the inside remained green, but where the pit had been became brown as no lemon juice had penetrated there.

Avocado on the fifth day (screenshot)

The Results

"From purchasing the avocado to ripening and extending its shelf life after cutting, you can keep an avocado for a minimum of three weeks and four days if it's stored in the fridge immediately after purchase. Then, spray the cut surfaces with lemon juice, place it in an airtight plastic container, and store it in the fridge," he said.

"To ensure all areas of the avocado don't brown, I could have added more lemon juice to the interior area where the pit was originally. As for why lemon juice works so well in preventing browning in avocados, the acidic properties in the lemon react with oxygen first - preventing a reaction between the oxygen and the avocado," he concluded.