Does Putting An Avocado Pit In Your Guacamole Really Help It Stay Green?

Avocado pits can be put to good use in many ways. Grind it up, and you could consume it for nutrients in a smoothie, turn it into an avo-shampoo for voluminous hair, make an exfoliating face mask during a day of self-care, or keep it whole and use it to grow your own avocado plant for an endless supply of the fruit at home (via Treehugger). Besides the more obvious uses of avocado pits, there is a surprising way that they may be able to solve a common problem, too.

Guacamole is not only one of the best ways to use avocados, but it also makes for a pretty good dip. Add a squeeze of lemon, juicy tomatoes, crunchy onions, a touch of chili, and voila! Out comes a creamy bowl of guac that pairs well with a bag of chips. Except, the only sour thing about guacamole is how quickly the bright green bowl can turn into a brown mush as the fruit reacts to oxygen. The second you slice open an avocado, the clock starts ticking — consume it within an hour or so, or throw it in the trash bin.

Eat This, Not That! suggests a simple solution for the pressing problem: Simply put an avocado pit in the container alongside the guacamole and it will help it stay bright green. The outlet says you can do this for both homemade as well as store-bought guacamole. But does the trick really work?

While avocado pits may work in keeping guacamole looking fresh, Live Science claims that even placing a hardboiled egg inside the container would do the same job. The site explains that certain fruits like avocados contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. When the fruit is cut open, polyphenol oxidase reacts rapidly with oxygen and makes the fruit go brown. But, they say, avocado pits are no magical ingredient that can stop this process. All that placing an avocado pit in a bowl of guacamole will do is work as an umbrella over a certain surface area of the guacamole by covering it from oxygen and consequently preventing that part from turning brown.

Due to the science behind it, Real Simple too found that avocado pits do little to nothing to stop guacamole from turning brown. Instead, they suggest adding a layer of water on top of your dip. The layer of water will work as a barrier between the guacamole and air and will prevent it from reacting with oxygen and turning brown, at least for up to two days. The water also won't dissolve into the guacamole, so when you're ready to eat it, you can simply drain out the water and enjoy.