Introduction.

It is considered as its center of origin of the avocado to the high parts of Central and
Eastern-Central Mexico, which includes states such as Nuevo Leon, Michoacán, Veracruz
and Puebla, as well as the highlands of Guatemala and the Antilles, is considered a
perennial product because it is grown throughout the year. The avocado is a fruit with great
nutraceutical attributes, for example absorbs cholesterol contributes to the prevention of
cancer.
Worldwide, Mexico is the main producer of avocado, the avocado is determined by factors
such as avocado variety, soil type, topography and weather conditions.

HASS variety.
Hass variety or crops, is particularly important for its high commercialization and
popularity in the international market for the following reasons:
• Excellent quality of its pulp, small bone and high oil content.

• Resistance to post-harvest handling and transportation.

• Broad period of flowering, not ripe until harvest, which allows producers to plan
their harvest according to market conditions.
• It is the variety that was best adopted in terms of development precocity and resistance of
pests and diseases.

Avocado production in Mexico is concentrated in Michoacán, which is the state with the
highest production. The Michoacán water fringe includes 22 municipalities that go from
Zitácuaro in the east to Cotija in the west, 5 types of climates and 11 types of soil with
slopes of 5% - 50%.
The avocado production of the state of Michoacán has oscillated between 80 and 85% of
the national total, being the last years those of smaller participation. As of December 2016,
Michoacán has produced 1, 456,748 thousand tons of the 1, 878,599 thousand tons
produced in the country. 4 Michoacán is the main producer of avocado at national level, the
states that follow it in higher production are: State of Mexico, Jalisco, Nayarit and Morelos,
which together generate 95% of national production.
The productive chain encompasses three phases through which the avocado goes through to
reach the final consumer. These are: primary phase, industrialization phase and
commercialization phase.
In Mexico there are two types of standards, the NOM and the NMX, which are applicable
for both domestic consumption and export

KEY DATE DESCRIPTIÓN

NOM-057-FITO-199 They establish the requirements and phytosanitary
specifications to issue the analysis report of pesticide residues
found expressed in parts per million, with a maximum of three
decimal numbers.
NOM-066-FITO-2002 2005-05-18 Specifications for phytosanitary management and mobilization
of avocado.
NOM-076-FITO-1999 2000-04-03 Preventive system and national emergency device against
exotic fruit flies.
NOM-081-FITO-2001 Management and elimination of foci of pest infestation through
the establishment or reordering of sowing, harvest and waste
destruction dates. Prevention (use of pest-tolerant material),
control (fallowing, pruning, chemical treatment, collection and
destruction of infested plants), mobilization, research,
conformity assessment.
NOM-120-SSA1-1995 Goods and services, hygiene and health practices for the
process of food, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.
Provision of personnel, physical facilities, sanitary facilities,
services to plant, equipment, process, pest control, cleaning and
disinfection.
NOM-128-SCFI-1988 1998-0831 Commercial information - labeling of agricultural products
(avocado)
NOM-143-SSA1-1995 Goods and services; Microbiological test food. Determination
of listeria monocytogenes. Phase contrast or dark field
microscope, sample preparation, isolation and serology
identification, expression of results, test report. If it is positive,
it informs presence in 25 grams or in 25 milliliters of the
sample.
NOM-144-SEMARMAT-2004 Establishes internationally recognized phytosanitary measures
for wood packaging
NMX-F-052-SCFI-2008 2008-06-18 Oils and fats, avocado oil, specifications.
NMX-FF-016-SCFI-2016 2017-01-06 Non-industrialized food products for human use, (fresh fruit,
HASS avocado, Persea americana mill), specifications; cancels
the NMX-FF-016_SCFI-2006

México contributes 3 out of every 10 tons of avocado

produced in the world; which places it as the exporting country
of the number one fruit; followed by Indonesia, which exports
294,200 tons; while our country exceeds one million 316
thousand 104 tons per year; that is, it exports 4.4 times more
than the Asian country.
It is the most successful product of the national agro-food
export, having a contribution of 45.95% of value of world
exports; in events with international reach, such as the Super
Bowl in which 100,000 tons have been consumed during the
day of the event.
The demand for this fruit has increased in 26 countries that include members of NAFTA,
the TPP, the TLCTN, as well as China, member countries of the European Union and
countries with which Mexico does not have a free trade agreement, which together
consumes almost 1.7 million tons.
In 2030, an increase in global demand is estimated from 2.84 to 4.24 million tons (MMt),
with an accumulated increase of 48.98%, while the national production of avocado has the
capacity to increase from 1.89 to 3.16 MMt, representing a accumulated 67.28%.
In recent years there has been a general increase in the production of avocado in the
country, observing a permanent leadership of the state of Michoacán, which in 2008
contributed 88% of the total national volume, which amounted to 1.12 million tons .
Of 42 municipalities that produce avocado in Michoacán, only 6 represent 79% of the total
production in the state; these are Uruapan (19%), Tancítaro (19%), Peribán (13%),
Tacámbaro (10%), Ario (9%) and Salvador Escalante (9%).

The Michoacán avocado is available all year round, however in the period that includes the
months of October to November the production increases considerably.
In Michoacán avocado harvest is done by hand with all the necessary care to avoid altering
the quality of the product. Based on the great experience that the farmers have, indicators of
maturity are taken into account to determine the ideal moment of the harvest, since if it is
done at the wrong time the quality of the product can be affected. These indicators are:
• Oil content.
• Amount of dry matter.
The classification of the avocados begins from their arrival to the packers, where the fruits
are inspected, generally carrying out the following procedure:
• Avocados are placed on conveyor belts where impurities are removed and
classified by quality.
• Cleaning is carried out with water to remove other impurities and, subsequently,
drying.
• Brushing is done, for a more detailed cleaning and avocado polishing.
• The avocados go through a second selection band where their quality is verified,
removing the product that does not meet the specifications.• Posteriormente pasan a
una seleccionadora de tamaños, que puede ser manual o computarizada, donde se
clasifica a los aguacates por calibres de acuerdo al peso y al tamaño.
According to Mexican Standard NMX-FF-016-SCFI-2002, avocados are classified into the
following quality categories:
• Supreme quality. Avocados must be of superior quality; uniform in terms of the
degree of maturity, color and size; and they should not have defects or diseases
• Quality I. They must be of good quality; Uniforms regarding the degree of
maturity, coloration and size. No defects known as "nail," burns caused by the sun
or by frost are not allowed. They may only present slight defects in no more than
6cm2 of their surface when they do not affect the general appearance of the product.
They must be free of mechanical damage and without damage caused by larvae and
other diseases.
• Quality II. They should be uniform in terms of maturity, color and size. Surface
damages that affect a maximum of 50% of the surface of the fruit caused by
physiopathies and mechanical damage may be allowed, as long as the avocados
retain their essential characteristics of quality, state of preservation and presentation.
• Not qualified. All avocado that does not classify at least as Quality II is considered
not suitable for fresh human consumption.
The michoacanos packers classify the size of the avocados according to their size,
according to the specifications of the Mexican Standard NMX-FF-008.
Tariff classification for the import and export of avocado.

Packing.

After the classification process, the avocados can be packed either in cardboard boxes or
plastic mesh, according to the needs of the client. Once packaged, they are sent to
refrigeration chambers for storage and subsequent distribution to different markets.

Display.

The consumer will be more willing to buy avocados if the display is striking, in addition, it
is important to take care of the quality and presentation of the avocados, for which the
following recommendations should be considered.

• On the sales floor it is recommended to display the avocados outside the cold area
to promote their ripening.

• It is important not to place more than 4 layers of product to minimize compression

damage, which is more severe when the avocados are already mature.

• Display them in the boxes in which they are packaged, if it is required to place
them in any display cabinet, the boxes should not be emptied directly, as this will
cause compression damages in the avocados. This operation must be done manually
since it does not damage the product and allows to separate it by degree of maturity.

• To maximize sales of avocados, display them together with products that contrast
with their color, such as onions, peppers, chilies and tomatoes, to make the display
more attractive.
 • Set up exhibits that include avocados with different degrees of maturity and teach
them to your customers. This is an excellent idea to capture more tastes and
preferences for avocado consumers.

• Make colorful themed exhibitions related to holidays or sporting events.

Avocados as a source of food.

The avocado is one of the fruits with greater nutritional properties:

1. It is an important source of folic acid.

2. It contains vitamins such as: E C and B6.

3. It also contains potassium and magnesium.

4. It also contains proteins, in which there is an amino acid called glutathione which
is a potent antioxidant.

One of the cultural myths about the avocado is its content of fat and cholesterol, an aspect
in which a sector of the population concerned about their health and the control of their
weight avoids consuming avocados. This is completely wrong, since the fat contained in
the avocado has the following characteristics.

• It is monounsaturated which means that it is beneficial for the heart and does not
raise cholesterol levels.

• Monounsaturated fat consists of monounsaturated fatty acids among those that

target beta-sistosterol, which reduces cholesterol levels, thus protecting the
circulatory system, as well as helping to prevent cancer.
Table of nutritional values of the avocado. (for every 100 grams)