Avocado Oil and Fakes
In the past when I suggested avocado oil to my clients, they would ask what brands I recommended, and I would say “any brand is fine”. I knew and read about fake olive oils, but I had not heard that this too was happening in the avocado oil industry…until now.
I have always liked the use of avocado oil because it can withstand high cooking temperatures, up to 520 degrees F. and is not a refined, inflammatory oil or so I thought….but a recent study found two brands that were actually almost 100% soybean oil!
Avocado oil, much like pure olive oil, provides monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats making it a heart healthy choice over refined and rancid oils such as vegetable oil and canola oil.
Sad to say, that yes, like with olive oil, there are imposters in the Avocado Oil market.
In fact, a recent study found 82% were expired or adulterated.
In the journal, Food Control, published was the first extensive study of commercial avocado oil quality and its purity.
Since the demand for avocado oil is growing it should come as no surprise that some would take advantage of the market. New research out of the University of California, Davis, found that most of the avocado oil sold in the U.S. is of poor quality, mislabeled or adulterated.
Many of the products on store shelves were oxidized before expiration date on the bottle meaning they were rancid. What this means for you is that the product contributes to systemic bodily inflammation.
The Study
22 avocado samples consisting of both extra virgin and refined oils were collected from 6 grocery stores and two online sources. Each oil sample was wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in the dark at 20 degrees C. Samples were purged with nitrogen after each opening.
Samples were separated into three groups according to their label: extra virgin, refined, unspecified.
The Findings
Overall, they found that at least 82% of test samples were either stale before expiration date or mixed with other oils. 15 of the samples were found to be oxidized before the expiration date which causes the oil to lose flavor and as I said, this has health consequences as well.
6 of the samples were adulterated with other oils including the addition of soybean, sunflower, and safflower oil. In three of the samples, they found adulteration at nearly 100% which was in 2 of the extra virgin bottles and one of the refined samples.
How to Tell If Your Avocado Oil is Real or a Fake?
- It should have a deep emerald color, or an extra virgin may have a pale color
- It should have an aroma of a ripe avocado
- The flavor is slightly grassy, with a very mild avocado flavor.
- Should leave a clean feeling in your mouth not a greasy feeling
- Unrefined avocado oil is pressed from the flesh of the fruit, not the seeds, and is dark green in color and smells and tastes like an avocado however, may be best suited for uncooked recipes as the smoke point may be lower, is unstable so it oxidizes quickly.
- refined avocado oil with an advertised high smoke point may be denatured, and processed.
Pure Brands
The study does not mention the specific brands and only mentions the color of the bottle and country of origin which isn’t very helpful when choosing a brand.
Cal Pure produced in California is the only brand name I can find so far that is reputable and true avocado oil. You can find it on amazon and it is called CalPure California Extra Virgin Avocado Oil and is $28.99 for a pack of 2 8.5 fluid ounce bottles. This oil states the smoke point is 400 degrees F so lower than a refined avocado oil and equivalent to a refined coconut oil smoke point.
The lack of Standards
Just like with olive oil there are no standards to determine if the avocado oil is of the quality and purity that it states on the bottle. Thus, the label can be false and misleading to the consumer.
Bottom Line
Chose reputable brands that you know and trust for now. Use the taste guidelines above to see if your avocado oil passes the taste, look and smell test. Once I have a list of pure brands I will update this post.
Sources
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713520302449
https://www.rebeccawood.com/food-as-medicine/pure-avocado-oil-superfood-scam/
Wood, R. (2010). The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia. U.S.: Penguin Books
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