Hass Avocado

The Hass avocado is a large-sized fruit weighing 200 to 300 grams (8 to 10 oz). When ripe, the skin becomes a dark purplish-black and yields to gentle pressure. When ready to serve, it becomes white-green in the middle part of the inner fruit.

Raw avocado is 73% water, 15% fat, 9% carbohydrates, and 2% protein (table). As reliable sources are not available for the micronutrient content specifically of Hass avocados, US Department of Agriculture data for a “commercial variety” is used. A 100-gram reference amount supplies 670 kilojoules (160 kilocalories) of food energy and is rich (20% or higher of the Daily Value, DV) in several B vitamins and vitamin K, with moderate content (10-19% DV) of vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium (right table, USDA nutrient data). Hass avocados contain phytosterols and carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin.

Avocados have diverse fats. For a typical avocado:

• About 75% of an avocado’s energy comes from fat, most of which (67% of total fat) is monounsaturated fat as oleic acid.
• Other predominant fats include palmitic acid and linoleic acid.
• The saturated fat content amounts to 14% of the total fat.
• Typical total fat composition is roughly: 1% ω-3, 14% ω-6, 71% ω-9 (65% oleic and 6% palmitoleic), and 14% saturated fat (palmitic acid).