CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



65 



Dietetic Value. The dietetical value of fruit, aside from the actual nutri- 

 ents which it contains lies in its succulency, its mineral matter and organic acids. 

 Very recent investigations by Osborne and Mendel have shown that fresh fruits 

 contain appreciable quantities of the water-soluble vitamine. The fruits expe- 

 rimented with were orange and other citrus fruits, apples, pears, prunes, and grape 

 fruit. It is to be hoped that in the very near future experiments may be con- 

 ducted at the University which will show that the avocado is also rich in water- 

 soluble vitamines. As Dr. Mendel states, the experiments with fruits placed 

 the dietary value of these foods, hitherto recommended because of their salt 

 content, their laxative properties, or their anti-scorbutic potency, in a new light 

 as sources of water-soluble vitamine. 



Judging from its composition, the avocado should perhaps prove to have 

 Icixative qualities of a peculiar or individual type, possessing as it does the com- 

 bination of the usual "fruit principles," and that of fat or oil. The laxative 

 properties of most fruits depend upon the stimulating effects of the fiber upon 

 the wall of the intestine and partly upon the organic acids and minerals. Oil 

 has a tendency to soothe and to lubricate the intestine even while it acts as a 

 mild laxative. The avocado is a natural combination of these two types of 

 foods — as if fruit and olive oil had been chemically combined by nature^ 

 Whether or not there is any special advantage in this natural combination over 

 that made by a proper selection of foods remains to be proved. There are 

 no clinical data on the subject, but future experimental work may give some 

 interesting results. 



The fact that the native Cubans prefer this fruit to any other of their 

 abundant supply may be due to its flavor alone, but it is more than likely that the 

 preference is more deep seated, and that it is the results of generations of ex- 

 perience or of a knowledge of its beneficial effects. 



Nutritional Studies of the Avocado — 1919-1921 

 M. E. JAFFA AND HAROLD GOSS 



During the year 1919-I920 only 9 different varieties of the avocado, 

 represented by 14 samples, were studied at the Nutrition Laboratory. It has 

 been noted in previous reports that the oil percentage varied inversely with the 

 size of the fruit. That statement is further emphasized by the results indicated 

 in Table I. 



