'Something out of Dr Pimple Popper!': Woman baffled by bizarre find in avocado
A woman has discovered a series of mysterious stones attached to her avocado skin after finishing off the fruit.
A picture of the mini pits in the avocado was posted to Facebook, with the woman seeking answers as to what it could be.
“Avocados ... I bought this one today at Aldi,” she wrote alongside the picture.
“Does anyone know about this please???”
Many people who commented were also baffled by the strange find in the avocado.
“I had one like that years ago and still have no idea,” one woman commented.
Others urged her to take the avocado back to the supermarket.
“God it looks like something out of Dr Pimple Popper,” another said.
The mystery however has been solved, with Avocados Australia confirming the pits are the result of a fruit-spotting bug bite.
After the bugs “sting” the fruit, stones or woody lumps appear on the flesh of the avocado just under the skin.
Bites can be spotted from outside the avocado but abrasions can heal over time as the fruit ages, making it difficult to identify whether it has been affected.
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries says on its website fruit-spotting bugs are mobile pests which can quickly re-infest after they are sprayed.
“They are also quite secretive and will move out of sight when you approach so are difficult to spot,” the website says.
“A fresh batch will often fly into an orchard on a hot windy day.”
The good news, however, is that the bite doesn’t really have a significant impact on the fruit and unaffected flesh is safe to eat.
People should avoid eating the stones caused by the bugs.
An Aldi spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia in a statement avocados were assessed for they quality every day at distribution centres across Australia.
“Although this type of fruit spotting bug bite is very isolated, avocado growers do their best to control insects through pest management practices, but some insects may be present.
“Any customer that finds a fault in their fruit can return it to store for a full refund.”
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