Differential rates of water loss were achieved in picked avocado (Persea americana Mill.) fruits, either by controlling the evaporation rate or by supplying water through the fruit stalk. A negative linear correlation was found between the daily rate of water loss from fruits and their ripening, as determined by the time from harvest to peak of ethylene production. Ripening rate was hastened by...

BACKGROUND Persea americana seeds are widely used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat rheumatism, asthma, infectious processes as well as diarrhea and dysentery caused by intestinal parasites. METHODS The chloroformic and ethanolic extracts of P. americana seeds were prepared by maceration and their amoebicidal, giardicidal and trichomonicidal activity was evaluated. These extracts were ...

The sensorial qualities, the nutritional value, and the large amount of vitamins of the avocado justify the expansion of the fruit consumption. The nutritional value of avocado is due to its high lipidic (8.4%) and proteic (1.2%) contents, which may reach 30% of its pulp. Due to its chemical composition it also becomes appropriate for industrial purposes (CANTO; SANTOS; TRAVAGLIN, 1980; TANGO; ...

The existence of multiple forms of avocado (Persea americana Mill. cv Hass) cellulase in crude protein extracts of ripe avocado fruit is reported. Cellulase was separated into at least 11 multiple forms by native isoelectric focusing in the pH range between 4 and 7 and visualized by both activity staining using Congo red and immunostaining. The enzyme components were acidic proteins with isoele...

Stearyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (EC 1.14.99.6), present in the stroma fraction of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts, rapidly desaturated enzymatically prepared stearyl-acyl carrier protein to oleic acid. No other substrates were desaturated. In addition to stearyl-acyl carrier protein, reduced ferredoxin was an essential component of the system. The electron donor systems were ei...

Two flavonoid glycosides derived from rhamnopyranoside (1) and arabinofuranoside (2) have been isolated from leaves of Persea caerulea for the first time. The structures of 1 and 2 have been established by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and IR spectroscopy, together with LC-ESI-TOF and LC-ESI-IT MS spectrometry. From the MS and MS/MS data, the molecular weights of the intact molecules as well as those of q...

The microsomal fraction from the mesocarp of avocado (Persea americana) is one of few identified rich sources of plant cytochrome P-450. Cytochrome P-450 from this tissue has been solubilized and purified. Enzymatic assays (p-chloro-N-methylaniline demethylase) and spectroscopic observations of substrate binding suggest a low spin form of the cytochrome, resembling that in the microsomal membra...