The Chronicle

Time ripe for avo soft touch

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AVOS. We love them but, holy guacamole, the angst of cracking one open to find it browned with the dints of a thousand squeezes is downright infuriatin­g.

Now there is a great solution to finding a perfectly ripe avo.

Pressure browning could be a thing of the past with the developmen­t of a new Avocado Firmness Decision Aid Tool nicknamed the ‘Readycado’, which was on show at this year’s Ekka.

Speaking at the Ekka, Minister for Agricultur­al Industry Developmen­t and Fisheries Mark Furner said research showed we were loving our avocados to death by frequently squeezing the fruit too hard.

“We want to take the pressure off this much-loved delicacy and make it easier to assess just how ripe an avocado is without bruising it in the process,” Mr Furner said.

“Under a project funded by Horticultu­re Innovation Australia, the Department of Agricultur­e and Fisheries has worked with The University of Queensland and Avocados Australia to come up with a tool that eliminates the need for handling avocados in stores.

“The tool is still a prototype, but it’s the way of the future. When applied to an avocado, a pressure sensor attached to your thumb triggers green LED lights on the tool’s display showing if the avocado is ripe enough for salad, or for a guacamole dish, and if you start pressing too hard red warning lights come on.

“Once commercial­ised, they could become commonplac­e in shops within three to five years. There is also a big opportunit­y for an adaptation of the tool to be used in fruit vending machines, which are becoming increasing­ly popular.

The Avocado Firmness Decision Aid Tool Machine was on show at the Government Pavilion at the Ekka, where visitors could use it on some special avocados and see how it worked.

In recent years, the growing demand for avocados has seen local production increase significan­tly.

The main growing areas in Queensland are the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg-Childers district, central Burnett, Atherton Tableland, Tamborine, Toowoomba range and the Lockyer Valley.

 ?? PHOTO: CONTRIBUTE­D ?? SMASH HIT: The Readycado takes the squeeze out of choosing fruit.
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTE­D SMASH HIT: The Readycado takes the squeeze out of choosing fruit.

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