Introduction

The avocado is a wonderful fruit that is gaining in popularity, full of healthful oils and other nutrients.  However, consumers consistently note the obvious drawback of the short life of fresh avocados, especially when used in recipes, like guacamole. Oxidative browning occurs within minutes, and causes food waste and supply chain loss. Green Venus is a technology company that has used site-specific nucleases to edit the genome of avocado. Dr. Jeff Touchman discusses the challenges and opportunities, regulatory hurdles, and specifics of the edits, as well as the potential future of a genetically engineered avocado.