ShareFrozen avocados to meet the booming global “avo craze”
Frozen avocado pieces or products represent a rising market for exporters to guarantee year-round supply of avocados, which is becoming crucial to the food service sector.
Global exports of avocado increased by about 20% in 2023, with Mexico and Peru being the main exporters [1]. Consumption in the US and European Union continues to gain in popularity among an increasingly health-conscious population, with avocados widely perceived as a highly nutritious fruit. According to industry sources, the avocado business must adapt within the next five years to maintain this growth [2].
Over 90% of avocado exports from top exporters Mexico and Peru are fresh [2, 3]. Nevertheless, there is a growing demand for processed avocados, mainly for food services such as restaurants, hotels and otheroutlets.
Individually quick-frozen avocados are ripe slices, dices and halves that are quickly frozen. The result is a frozen product made up of separate pieces that can be defrosted later and used as a fresh ingredient in guacamole, salads, smoothies, burgers, etc [4].
Contrary to fresh avocado, frozen avocado pieces can be available all year round, offering a shelf life of up to 24 months [4]. Depending on global avocado production seasons, smaller restaurants, juice bars and delis in the food services sector are more likely to purchase fresh produce when fresh avocado is readily available and prices are low. However, when availability is lower and prices are higher, they are more likely to use frozen products [4].
In Peru, about 9% of the total production of avocados is currently used for freezing [2]. In Mexico, frozen avocado puree is a common exportable by-product, with a shelf life of eight to ten months [5].
Frozen avocados also represent an opportunity for exporters to expand market access. For instance, Kenya, the world’s fourth avocado exporter, has only been granted access to the Chinese market for frozen avocado products, but not for fresh avocados, due to phytosanitary controls [6].
Temperature management in the cold chain is paramount for avocado fruit quality. Temperatures below 4–6°C can lead to external chilling injury (skin damage), while higher temperatures or prolonged storage can lead to internal chilling injury (flesh discoloration) and premature softening [7]. To preserve the fruit’s nutritional quality and avoid browning, avocados intended for freezing therefore require careful cold-chain management. In addition, since the pulp is exposed in avocado pieces destined for freezing, processing plants must have excellent biosafety and sanitary conditions to avoid microbial contamination by Listeria monocytogenes [2]. It should be noted that these requirements are restrictive for small farmers who do not have access to freezing plants.
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Sources:
[1] FAO. 2024 Major Tropical Fruits. Market Review. Preliminary results 2023. https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/499b4eb7-0f1c-4d76-bb29-855e4672184f
[2] https://www.freshfruitportal.com/news/2024/07/25/peruvian-frozen-avocado-a-developing-market/
[3] USDA Foreign agricultural service. Mexico: Avocado annual report. April 5, 2024. https://fas.usda.gov/data/mexico-avocado-annual-7
[4] COLEAD. Sector study: processed avocado. 2. Frozen avocado. https://resources.colead.link/en/system/files/file_fields/2024/02/29/02-iqfavocadostudy-enhd.pdf
[5] USDA Foreign agricultural service. Mexico: Avocado annual report. October 05, 2021. https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Avocado%20Annual_Mexico%20City_Mexico_12-01-2021.pdf
[6] Mwangi, 2024. What is the future of avocado farming in Kenya? A short review https://www.m.elewa.org/Journals/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.Mwangi.pdf
[7] Woolf, A. B., Arpaia, M. L., Defilippi, B. G., & Bower, J. P. (2020). Chapter 18.1 - Subtropical fruits: Avocados. In M. I. Gil & R. Beaudry (Eds.), Controlled and Modified Atmospheres for Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce (pp. 389–397). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804599-2.00026-0