Current trends and future directions in avocado oil research: An overview and a bibliometric analysis across two time points

Abstract

Avocados, including the peels and seeds, have beneficial nutritional value and can be processed into oils. To understand the trends and promote the use of avocado waste, it is essential to ascertain the scientific contributions, productivity, quality, and gaps in the avocado oil research field. This research identifies the changes in the research trend over the last ten years compared to previous studies. Additionally, this study examines and summarizes the research question, significant study findings, and future directions for avocado oil research through an overview format. Results show that the market for avocado oil has been growing, received greater attention, and been extensively studied in the last 10 ​years ​as opposed to the preceding century. There is more collaborative research on this topic globally from 2014 to 2023 than from 1928 to 2013. The direction of avocado oil research has not changed significantly; rather, it has expanded from the foundational studies and become more focused. Surprisingly, recent advancements indicate a notable increase in the research topic of avocado oil adulteration, implying that such practices have become more prevalent in the last decade compared to earlier periods. Though research hotspots noted that avocado oil is still being tested on animals, such as rats, the use of avocado oil for cosmetic purposes was not emphasized till 1928–2013. Other persisting hotspots include avocado being tried for antioxidant or oxidative stress prevention, insulin resistance prevention, extraction, compositional analysis, and avocado oils being compared alongside other oils.