Avocados are a delicious and healthy breakfast ingredient, but there is nothing worse than cutting one open to find the insides are slimy and mushy – and it turns out a popular storage hack could be making you sick
Avocados are a top choice for a healthy and delicious breakfast, but there’s nothing worse than slicing one open to find it’s turned slimy and mushy. Despite their tasty nature, avocados have a short freshness lifespan, and many people are unknowingly making them unsafe to eat by storing them in water.
Amy Cross, a food storage expert and founder of The Cross Legacy, has warned against the popular social media hack of keeping avocados in a bowl of water to prolong their freshness.
She said: “Have you seen the TikTok videos, IG reels and other social media influencers that have been sharing the food hack of storing avocados in water? These tips show people storing whole and halved avocados in water to keep them fresh longer. It has been all over social media. In reality, it could be making you sick. The FDA has come out and spoken against this method of storing avocados.”
Why shouldn’t you store avocado slices in water?
The tough skin of an avocado can harbour bacteria from the soil, but usually, the fruit’s flesh is safe to eat once washed.
However, if you store avocado slices in water, these bacteria can contaminate the flesh, creating the perfect environment for multiplication or mould spore formation, reports the Express.
Not only can storing avocados in water lead to food poisoning, but it’s also ineffective as the natural fats and oils of the avocado break down.
This not only makes the avocado more susceptible to spoilage but ruins both the texture and flavour, so you will be left with a mushy mess that is not very appetising to eat.
What is the best way to keep avocado slices fresh?
It is more effective to simply not use any water at all and instead keep avocado slices stored in a airtight container like a mason jar.
Amy said: “When you cut an avocado and only need to use half, grab a small mason jar and stick the rest of the avocado, with seed and skin intact, into the jar.”
Avocado slices spoil due to a process called oxidation, which is when the enzymes in the inner flesh react to air and begin to spoil.
Storing avocado slices in a jar limits their exposure to oxygen, which stops them browning so they stay fresh.
If you wish, you help extend an avocado’s shelf life by coating the flesh in lemon juice or some olive oil, as this seals the enzymes in a protective barrier to stop them browning.
However, simply just storing avocado slices in a jar is not only safe but one of the best ways to preserve them so they stay a glossy green colour up to a week longer.