Microbial and Bioactivity Profiling of Avocado Fruits: Unlocking Novel Biotechnological Potentials

Abstract

Avocado is a widely consumed tropical fruit renowned for its exceptional nutritional profile and diverse range of biological activities. These include antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and plant growth-promoting (PGP) effects, which contribute to its health benefits and underscore its potential in various biotechnological applications. Recent scientific investigations have highlighted that many of these bioactivities may be closely linked to the rich and diverse microbiota associated with different parts of the fruit. The endophytic microbial communities inhabiting the avocado peel, pulp, and seed may play crucial roles in modulating the fruit’s biochemical landscape and enhancing its functional properties. Driven by increasing global demand, avocado cultivation, production, and consumption have grown rapidly in recent years. This has led to the generation of considerable amounts of agricultural waste, primarily in the form of seeds, peels, and defatted pulp. These by-products, which make up around 30% of the total fruit mass, remain largely underutilized despite their potential as valuable sources of microorganisms and bioactive metabolites. This project aims to comprehensively characterize the microbiota of avocado peel, pulp, and seed using both culture-dependent methods and culture-independent metataxonomic approaches based on next-generation sequencing (NGS). The objective is to identify key microbial taxa and isolate novel strains associated with beneficial biological functions. In parallel, extracts from each fruit component will be evaluated in vitro for bioactive properties to identify new metabolites with potential biotechnological applications in agriculture, food preservation, and biomedicine. The integration of microbial and metabolite profiling will provide insights into the ecological and functional roles of avocado microbiota, supporting the sustainable valorization of avocado byproducts.