AVOCADO SEED STRUCTURE AND QUATIFICATION OF FAT EXTRACTION BY DIFERENT THECHNIQUES

Abstract

The avocado fruit (cv. Hass) is a berry wilh mesocarp and endocarp that contain one seed. In our study, this seed represented 15.0 to 16.0% of the weight in relation to fruit. For microscopy observations, sections were stained wilh tolution blue and was found that parenchima's cells of cotiledons had the major quantity of starch (blue to violet granules), while the embryo axis storage the major portíon of fat which was observed as refringent ambar droplets. The coat seed was observed, perfectly defined in schlerenchima and tannins cells that were brown to red color. Conceming extraction of fat of avocado seed, was found that hexane and CO2 supercritical treatment extracted approximately same quantity of fat, 3.08 and 3.07%, respectively, while ethanol extracted 0.79%. This results are according with microscopy observations where the cells without or poor in fat after CO2 supercritical extraction was observed cell walls destruction.