Westfalia Fruit has initiated a groundbreaking valorisation process utilizing avocado skins and seeds in collaboration with Efficiency Technologies.
As a global leader in the avocado industry, Westfalia is focused on maximizing the use of all avocado components throughout the supply chain. The company is optimizing the valorisation of avocado byproducts, with its latest achievement being an innovative method to extract a natural, sustainable dye from avocado stones in partnership with SAGES London.
This development signifies a leap forward in total crop utilization. The process successfully extracts perseorangin, a rare and highly valued natural pigment, from avocado stones sourced from Westfalia’s UK facility.
This pigment yields eight unique shades, ranging from delicate yellow to deep reddish-brown, providing new avenues for sustainable color solutions across a variety of industries. The specialized extraction technique isolates perseorangin, which represents nearly 3% of the avocado stone, transforming it into a dry powder that enhances shelf life.
“This breakthrough represents a significant step in our journey toward our total crop use strategy,” states Andrew Mitchell, head of group innovation at Westfalia Fruit. “By transforming what was once considered a 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 utilize the entire fruit demonstrates the potential of innovative thinking in sustainable agriculture.”
In addition to the dye extraction, the remaining materials from avocado skins and stones are repurposed into other valuable products; for instance, starches are redirected for paper manufacturing as precursors for packaging production.
The natural dye extraction process represents a significant advancement in sustainable practices, especially as various industries increasingly seek alternatives to synthetic dyes.
Encapsulated in powder form, the dye ensures stability and ease of application across different uses. Moreover, the eight distinct natural shades provide versatility to meet diverse product requirements.
The commercial potential of this natural dye has already been validated through several notable applications.
The pigment’s successful debut at London Fashion Week highlighted its prospects in sustainable fashion, while ongoing collaborations with industry leaders in cosmetics and packaging showcase its broad cross-sector appeal.
Beyond the UK, this extraction process displays scalability, as plans are underway to explore expanding this technology to additional Westfalia facilities in Europe to further optimize avocado byproduct processing.
