Westfalia Fruit introduces sustainable dye extraction from avocado byproducts

Westfalia Fruit, a global leader in the avocado industry is committed to utilizing all parts of the avocado across the supply chain. Avocados imported for retail, food service, and wholesale customers are carefully inspected. Any unsuitable avocados are processed at Westfalia’s facility into products like avocado pulp, smashed avocado, guacamole, and more. The avocado skins and seeds from the process, which were previously typically used in low-value applications such as anaerobic digesters, are now finding new, innovative, higher value alternative uses.

Having partnered with Efficiency Technologies, the valorisation of the entire byproduct channel of avocado skins and stones is assessed to optimise use, with the most recent development being an innovative technology extracting a natural, sustainable dye from avocado stones, with SAGES London. This marks a significant advancement in total crop utilization; the process extracts perseorangin (a rare and sought-after natural pigment) from avocado stones collected at Westfalia's UK facility. The pigment offers eight distinct shades ranging from light yellow to rich reddish-brown, creating new opportunities for sustainable colouring solutions across multiple industries. The specialized extraction method isolates perseorangin, which constitutes approximately 3% of the avocado stone, and processes it into a dried powder form, offering extended shelf life.

"This breakthrough represents a significant step in our journey toward our total crop use strategy," says Andrew Mitchell, Head of Group Innovation at Westfalia Fruit. "By transforming what was once considered byproduct into a valuable resource, we're creating sustainable solutions that benefit multiple industries. The ability to produce eight distinct natural shades while maintaining our commitment to use the entire fruit demonstrates the potential of innovative thinking in sustainable agriculture."

Expanding technology across industries

Besides the dye extraction, remaining materials from the avocado skins and stones are also processed into additional valuable products – for example, starches are directed to paper manufacture as a precursor to packaging production, whilst ground materials find applications in cosmetics as natural exfoliants, as alternatives to micro-plastics

The natural dye extraction process represents a significant advancement in sustainable practices, particularly as industries increasingly seek alternatives to synthetic dyes. The powder format ensures stability and ease of use across various applications, while the range of the eight distinct natural shades offers versatility for different product requirements. This innovation comes at a time when consumer demand for natural, sustainable products continues to rise across fashion, beauty and packaging sectors.

The commercial potential and versatility of the natural dye have already been demonstrated through several high-profile applications. The pigment's successful showcase at London Fashion Week highlighted its viability in sustainable fashion, while ongoing collaborations with industry leaders in cosmetics and packaging demonstrate its cross-sector appeal.

Away from the UK, the process shows scalability as plans are underway to understand how the technology could be expanded to additional Westfalia facilities in Europe, where more avocado byproduct can be processed using the same techniques, clearly this same application could also be expanded to Westfalia’s global operations.

The company's integrated operations ensure efficient collection and processing of avocado stones and skins from multiple production sites, which will help to maximize the sustainable impact of the initiative and builds upon Westfalia's commitment to sustainability and circular economy principles.

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