Avocado oil has become a popular choice for many people in recent years because of its heart-healthy benefits and versatility in cooking. However, not all avocado oil products on store shelves are created equal. Some products are labeled as “pure” avocado oil when they contain other oils or additives. No enforceable standards defining the chemical and physical characteristics of avocado oil exist yet.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, analyzed samples of 36 private label avocado oil products and graded them based on quality and purity. Private label products are made by a third-party processor and sold under a grocery store or retailer brand label. Their findings, published in the journal Food Control, show that 31% of the samples tested were pure, and 36% were of advertised quality. Quality refers to whether the oil is fresh or has gone bad due to aging, heat or light exposure. For purity, researchers measured fatty acids, sterols and other components that differentiate avocado oil from other oils.

The study included oils purchased from 19 retailers in the U.S. and Canada with various price points. They found that lower-priced oils were more likely to be tainted with other oils.

“We found that low-cost products indicate a higher probability for adulteration, but high cost didn't guarantee purity or quality,” said Selina Wang, associate professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Food Science and Technology. She and Hilary Green, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, co-authored the paper.

Researchers also identified certain chemical markers in avocado oil that professional retail buyers can use to make more informed decisions when it comes to choosing suppliers. This way, consumers can feel confident about the products they buy.

This is the second comprehensive study conducted by UC Davis researchers on the quality of avocado oil sold in the U.S. The first study released in 2020 found that many of the test samples were of poor quality, mislabeled or adulterated with other oils.

“This study demonstrates that although progress is being made in standard development since our first market study in 2020, there are still issues with purity in avocado oil and these issues extend significantly into private label oils,” Wang said.'

https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/70%25-private-label-avocado-oil-rancid-or-mixed-other-oils

New findings may help researchers develop a grapefruit devoid of compounds that affect medication levels

Grapefruit and pummelo contain compounds called furanocoumarins that may affect the blood levels of more than 100 prescription drugs, so that people taking these medications are advised to remove these fruits from their diets. Research published in New Phytologistreveals genetic information about the synthesis of furanocoumarins in different citrus plant tissues and species and provides new insights that could be used to develop grapefruit and pummelo that lack furanocoumarins.

The research indicates that the production of furanocoumarins in citrus fruit is dependent on the integrity of a single gene within a multi-gene cluster that encodes enzymes of the 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase family.

“This research helps us to understand why fruit of certain citrus species produce furanocoumarins and demonstrates how breeders and researchers could develop furanocoumarin-free citrus varieties,” said co–corresponding author Yoram Eyal, PhD, of the Volcani Center, in Israel.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.20322

It's Fire Season

AG Pass Information: https://www.readyventuracounty.org/agriculture/

Ventura County Fire, the Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Agriculture Weights & Measures, will be offering another in-person training class.

The class will be offered in English and Spanish and will satisfy the U.S. Fire Administration's “Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior S-190” training which is required to obtain a Pre-Incident Ag Pass.

 ON-LINE Training: https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/nfacourses/catalog/details/10623