Could there exist an avocado with a lifespan of more than four seconds?
Friends, perhaps. This week, Costco unveiled a sparkly new avocado from Del Rey Avocados, a California-based company. The fruits (yes, they are fruits) are coated in a odorless, tasteless additive called Apeel, according to its creators, is made from lipids and glycerolipids that naturally occur in produce.
When the avocado is dipped into Apeel, it slows the rate at which the fruit loses water and gains oxygen. The idea is to extend the avocado's notoriously short shelf life -- the source of trust issues among guacamole enthusiasts worldwide.
Apeel received substantial funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which lauded the product as a potential way to "protect crops from bacteria, fungi, and insects; reduce crop destruction; and possibly extend the foods’ shelf life without refrigeration."
Produce treated with Apeel is projected to last two to three times as long as untreated produce, according to the company website. Ideally, this lengthened ripening period will help farmers avoid harvesting crops before they're ripe, potentially improving flavor and nutritional value.
It will also help you, the beleaguered avocado consumer, to not waste so many avocados. And, according to a representative, treated avocados will cost roughly $5 per bag, so maybe you can finally... buy them in bulk?
Sounds good to us.
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