How long can a cut avocado be kept

Avocados should be eaten as soon as possible after being cut, as the shelf life of avocados will be very short after being cut. If stored properly, the cut avocados can be kept for 1 to 2 days. Because they contain a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, they will oxidize when exposed to air, and the flesh will turn black. The nutritional value of the avocado will become very poor at this time. If you cannot eat the cut avocado, you can apply a layer of lemon juice on it and refrigerate it.

How long can you keep a cut avocado?

Avocados can be kept for 1 to 2 days after being cut. Avocado contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, which are easily oxidized and turned black in the air. Therefore, avocado needs to be eaten as soon as possible after being cut. If the avocado is ripe, you can apply a layer of lemon juice on the cut surface, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for 1 to 2 days.

Raw avocados cannot be put into the refrigerator. After cutting, they can be heated in the microwave to ripen them, and then put in the refrigerator. It can also be stored for 1 to 2 days. Please note that avocados are not suitable for long-term storage after being cut. The longer they are stored, the more nutrients they lose and the worse the taste becomes.

How to store avocado after cutting it

1. Keep the core

If you don't finish your avocado but haven't pitted it, leave the pit in the avocado. Don't remove the pit from the uneaten half of the avocado; leaving it in will slow down the oxidation process. Keeping the pit in the avocado will cause less damage to the cell walls. Additionally, the pit blocks the flesh from light and air, which reduces the amount of oxygen the flesh is exposed to, slowing the oxidation process.

2. Apply lemon juice

Pour lemon or lime juice over the avocado. Brush the cut surface of the avocado with enough acidic liquid to coat it. Cutting an avocado damages the cell walls inside the avocado, which triggers the oxidation process. The oxidation process causes the fruit to turn brown. Acids slow down the oxidation process. In addition to lemon and lime juice, other acidic agents include orange juice, vinegar, and tomato juice.

3. Apply olive oil

Alternatively, brush the cut surface of the avocado with olive oil. If you don't have lemon or lime juice, or don't want to use it for whatever reason, lightly brush a layer of olive oil over the exposed flesh of the avocado. While oil does little to directly slow the oxidation process, olive oil can create a better airtight seal. The avocado's surface flesh is exposed to less oxygen, so the oxidation process will naturally be slower than when it is not covered with oil.

4. Splice and save

If you have one avocado left after you cut it in half and haven't finished eating it, you can put the two halves back together. Put the two halves back together as best you can, snapping the seedless half over the seeded part of the other half. This is done to minimize exposure. If the two avocado halves are still whole, putting them back together will effectively cover all the exposed flesh. You can't repair damaged cell membranes, so oxidation will still occur, but this step will help slow the process by reducing the amount of oxygen the flesh is exposed to.

5. Preserve with plastic wrap

Wrap avocado in plastic wrap. Wrap the avocado tightly in plastic wrap to create an airtight seal. If you don't have plastic wrap, there are other options. Instead of using plastic wrap, you can store the avocados in an airtight container, a vacuum-sealed plastic bag, or a resealable plastic bag. What you are really trying to do is restrict or block the airflow over the surface of the fruit. By creating a sealed environment, you limit the amount of oxygen that the surface of the avocado flesh is exposed to, which can slow down the oxidation process.

6. Store in refrigerator

Place avocados on a fruit shelf or in the back of the refrigerator, where the temperatures tend to be the lowest. Don't leave avocados at room temperature on the counter or in the kitchen. Once the fruit has been cut, it must be refrigerated to maintain its quality and edibility.