New Machine Keeps Avocados From Browning

Keeping avocados from browning is one of those holy grails that guacamole lovers and avocado toast fiends everywhere struggle with on the regular. Tricks like keeping the pit in the guacamole or squeezing lemon juice on an unused half are solid solutions. But a company in Australia called Naturo Technologies has just invented a machine that allegedly keeps avocados from turning brown for up to 10 days. No pit can do that. What's more, the machine is chemical free.

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The machine—called the Natavo Zero and informally known as the "avocado time machine"—operates by suppressing the enzyme that turns the fruit brown when it is exposed to oxygen. Sliced or halved avocados are put onto a conveyer belt and "treated" for five to six minutes, after which they'll retain their color for more than a week, Naturo Technologies engineer Jeff Hastings says.

As of now, the company won't explain any more about the patented process, but Hastings tells Mashable, "The machine uses a combination of pressure, temperature, steam and time to switch off the enzyme." Unfortunately for all of the home cooks out there, as of now Naturo Technologies is targeting only large-scale businesses. The two current models have the capacity to either treat 551 or 1,102 pounds of avocado an hour.

Of course, if you're as big an avocado toast fan as you say you are, that quantity might qualify you for one.