'Avocado time machine' delays your fruit going brown

An Australian company has claimed to have developed technology to save the human race from a scourge that has plagued us from time immemorial - the varying ripeness of avocados. The baffling ability of avocados to go straight from hard as a rock to mushy and brown may never again be the end of your avocado toast plans.

Named the Natavo Zero (or 'avocado time machine'), according to the Guardian, it works by fluctuating pressure with steam to stop the enzyme that causes browning in the fruit - polyphenol oxidase. The machine can process 4,000 avocados an hour and is designed for mashed or pre-sliced avocados.

The company, Naturo, states that the technology uses "zero chemicals, additives, preservatives or processing aides" and increases the refrigerated shelf-life of the fruit by "a minimum of 10 days" even after the packaging has been removed.

In a statement, Naturo director, Jeff Hastings, said that the company understands "the avocado's life cycle and the complex correlation of enzymes involved in the browning process", and have therefore made possible ready-to-eat avocado products that retain "the flavour and fresh taste of avocado, without browning."

Naturo claims it wants to develop technology "to extend shelf-life and enhance nutritional value". Technologies like the Natavo Zero could also help cut down on food waste, a major issue affecting the world. The Food Standards Agency estimates that seven tonnes of food is thrown away in the UK every year - not only a waste of food but money: UK food waste costs households £470 annually.