Tesco lays claim to world's largest available avocado - FreshFruitPortal.com

Tesco lays claim to world's largest available avocado

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Tesco lays claim to world's largest available avocado

British grocery store Tesco has launched what it claims to be the world's largest avocado, the Avozilla from South Africa's Limpopo province.Avozilla August 2013 035

At a reported five times the size of the standard avocado, the fruit measures an average of seven inches long and weighs around 1.3 kgs (2.9 lbs). The rare variety grows on a reported four trees from the Westfalia FarmĀ near Modjadjiskloof.

The fruit will be sourced by Greencell and Westfalia, according to Tesco's press office.

In July and August, Markify published two new avocado trademarks in Europe between South Africa's Westfalia Limited and Spain's Clark, Modet y Cia, S.L. for the Avozilla brand and another product called Avodisiac.

Exclusively on sale at Tesco Supermarkets, the Avozilla fruit will costĀ ā‚¬3 (US$3.96) a piece.

Tesco's salad buyerĀ Emma Bonny said the fruit has a buttery texture and creamy flavor.

"The ripe fruit is an attractive vivid green colour ā€“ different from the darker coloured smaller variety ā€“ and its thick skin can actually be used as a serving bowl for guacamole," she said in a press release.

How common are giant avocados?

Although not quite as large as the Avozilla, other avocado varieties have been known to reach similar sizes.

California Avocado Commission's Timothy Spann highlighted the Choquette variety, which can reach up to 40 oz or 2.5 lbs.

"It is a Guatemalan x West Indian hybrid. My guess is Avozilla is a similar hybrid of West Indian by Mexican or Guatemalan. The downside of the West Indian race is that they have lower oil content (10-15%) than the Mexican or Guatemalan (>20%), thus the hybridization to get the size plus the oil content," theĀ research product manager told www.freshfruitportal.com.

Spann explained that there are three races of avocado:Ā Mexican, Guatemalan and West Indian. Consumers in North America will be most familiar with Guatemalan varieties and Mexican varieties like Hass.

West Indian varieties can become quite large. They grow well in humid, tropical climates like Florida, where theĀ Choquette variety originated. Typically, West Indian varieties produce smooth, green-skinned fruit that reach up to 2 lbs.

Photo: Tesco

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