Compositional, structural and physicochemical properties of avocado seeds and their potential agro-industrial uses

The avocado fruit is one of the most successful products of agri-food production and industrialization in Mexico. It can be consumed fresh or processed in a wide variety of derived products. During its processing, a large amount of agro -industrial waste is generated, such as avocado seed, which has valuable components, with the potential to be used in various industries as an ingredient in the formulation of functional products. The objective of this research was to summarize the current knowledge of the composition, structure, properties and possible industrial applications of avocado seeds, and their main by-products. This study was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA declaration, for which a systematic bibliographic search of research articles from the last 20 years in different databases was used; taking into account various inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was found that obtaining starches and bioactive compounds from the avocado seed are the most studied categories. Being Nigeria, Mexico and the United States of America the countries with the most related reports during 2015-2020. It is concluded that there is a growing interest in the revaluation of avocado seeds, because it is considered a potential source of various components such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fatty acids, carbohydrates, among others, with possible industrial applications for the development of functional products with added value.