A simple storage trick using a lemon can keep avocados ripe for more than five weeks, according to a tip shared on the Homemaking Tips Facebook page. The method involves placing the fruit in the fridge alongside a citrus fruit, which slows the ripening process and prevents browning.
The advice comes as a warning against a popular social media trend that suggests submerging avocados in water. That approach not only fails to keep the fruit fresh, but also poses a health risk, as the moist environment encourages the growth of harmful bacteria such as Salmonella. Even when the water appears clear, microbes on the avocado's skin can multiply rapidly.
Facebook user shares successful test
John Wheeler posted on the Homemaking Tips Facebook page about trying the lemon method after reading about it online. He wrote: "Y'all, I am shooketh! I read somewhere that storing avocados in the fridge with a lemon makes them last longer, so I decided to try it."
Wheeler kept his last purchase in the crisper drawer of the fridge. He added: "Almost six weeks later, I see them when I'm making burritos and think, why not see. After just over five weeks, they were perfectly ripe and bright green inside still. I will never store them another way."
Why the method works
The acidic properties of lemons reduce the pH level of avocados and diminish enzymatic activity, which prevents them from browning. Keeping avocados in the fridge also slows the ripening process considerably, making it best to refrigerate one that is already ripe or nearly so.
Avocados should initially be kept on the kitchen worktop, where they can ripen naturally at room temperature before being transferred to the fridge drawer alongside a lemon. Refrigerating an avocado before it has fully ripened will eventually allow it to ripen, but both its texture and flavour may be adversely affected.
