food waste

This ‘Avocado Time Machine’ Keeps Guacamole From Turning Brown

Maybe wait till it comes out in the mini version. Photo: Naturo Technologies

Day-old guacamole is no longer the enemy: This new assembly-line-size contraption, called the Avocado Time Machine, purportedly keeps avocados green for up to ten days — roughly 100 million times longer than before — by blasting the fruit with pressurized steam that somehow “switches off” polyphenol oxidase, the evil enzyme that causes browning.

It’s by Australian company Naturo, and the magical Natavo Zero technology it employs promises to “revolutionize the global avocado market.” According to Naturo’s explanation of the design, sliced or already-mashed avocados can be fed into the machine at a rate of about 4,000 per hour. They’re hit by the steam, get spit back out, and stay eerily green. No chemicals, preservatives, or other additives are used, and there’s reportedly no effect on the fruit’s taste or “outstanding health benefits.”

Here’s some time lapse of the sorcery in action:

The idea is cool and all, even if it’s the work of somebody whose plan seems to be tackling the world’s problems in reverse order of importance, and is of absolutely no benefit to home cooks. Who hasn’t fantasized about snacking from a vat-size batch of guac stored in the fridge for a week straight? But the trick here is going to be squeezing this gargantuan Über-unitasker in between the Kitchen Aid and coffee pot.

‘Avocado Time Machine’ Keeps Guacamole From Turning Brown