Avocado oil is booming. Most of it is rancid.
Scientists analyzed 22 samples of commercially available avocado oil: 15 had gone rancid before their best-by date, while six were likely cut with large quantities of other, cheaper oils.
The waxing popularity of the avocado in the past decade—a boom driven by the appeal of its health benefits, as touted by highly effective industry marketing efforts—has led American eaters to smear the buttery fruit onto every surface of their lives. Avocados can be found on our faces and in our hair, in our ice cream and on our toast. (Some would say at the cost of our access to financial stability.) Avocado oil, too, has grown in popularity, as a “heart healthy” alternative to other cooking oils, and an increasingly common substitute for butter i… Continue Reading (4 minute read)