Avocados could now last twice as long with new edible coating

This invention could revolutionise the avocado as we know it

Anyone with a penchant for avocados will know how frustrating it is when you buy one, only for it to go off before you’ve had a chance to enjoy its creamy goodness.

One company now believes that it’s solved this particular predicament with an innovative solution.

Apeel Sciences, a Californian company that’s received backing from Bill Gates, has developed an edible coating that can reportedly make an avocado last twice as long as usual.

On Tuesday, the “Apeel avocados” became available for consumers to purchase from Costco and Harps Food Stores across the US Midwest.

Apeel Sciences has been developing its enterprising avocados for six years in an effort to reduce food waste.

The coating is made from leftover plant skins and stems, and locks in an avocado’s moisture once it dries.

While avocados being transported to supermarkets are refrigerated in transit, they then usually lose their freshness at a rapid pace once displayed on the shop floor.

“Refrigeration has been used to increase produce quality during transportation and storage, but you lose the benefit of refrigeration when a fruit sits on a grocery store shelf or on a kitchen counter,” James Rogers, CEO of Apeel Sciences, told Business Insider.

“With our technology, we’re able to dramatically reduce the rate that clock is ticking.”

Apeel Sciences has received at least $40m (£30m) in venture capital from investors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Some people have expressed their approval of the Apeel avocados on social media.

“Yes! Apeel is completely natural and plant-based which means I’ll be buying a lot more avocados!” one person wrote.

Apeel Sciences hopes to also prolong other food products with its edible coating in the near future, including a range of fruits and vegetables.

In December it was revealed that Marks & Spencer had started selling stoneless avocados with edible skin.