Unsaponifiable matter,total sterol and tocopherol contents of avocado oil varieties

Four varieties (Zutano, Bacon, Fuerte, Lula) of avocado (Persea americana) have been investigated for their unsaponifiable matter (UM) in mature and immature fruits. The UM content in crude oil was always higher in immature fruits (15–40%vs. 4–9%). The UM was fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of total sterols and tocopherol. The sterol content in the oil was always higher in immature (1.1–6.2%) than in mature (0.8–2.0%) fruits. The tocopherol content differed with the varieties (10.2–25.0 mg/100 g UM), and the levels in the oil were higher in immature (20.1–45.6 mg/100 g oil) than in mature (5.7–10.3 mg/100 g oil) fruits.