ACAI (a-sigh-ee)
"Superfruit" is meant to imply nutrient richness with medical research results indicating potential health benefits, combined with uncommon but appealing taste, pigmentation, and antioxidant strength.
An alternative to the indiscriminate harvesting of the hearts of palm is the use of the berries which yield a crop biannually. Berry harvesting contributes to the local economy of the rainforest while saving the life of the trees.
In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, Acaí palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region (Murrieta et al., 1999).
The juice and pulp of Acaí fruits (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, Acaí is traditionally served in cuias with tapioca and sometimes sugar. Acaí has become a fad in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as açaí na tigela ("Acaí in the bowl"). Acaí juice, blends and pulp powder are no longer limited to the Amazon region, but are now part of the worldwide industries of functional foods and nutraceuticals for which Acaí is often categorized as a superfruit.
As Acaí deteriorates rapidly after harvest, its raw material is generally only available outside the immediate growing region as juice or fruit pulp that has been frozen, dried, or freeze-dried.
The Acaí
Berry is a rather small,
round, and black-looking
purple. It resembles a
grape or a blueberry,
but is yet smaller and
darker. This fruit has
a large seed
and minimum amount
of pulp. The
Acaí
fruit berry is now
broadly used in energy
juices, ice cream,
certain energy bars with
granola.
Acaí
has been used for many
generations by the
natives of Brazil.
Acaí
boasts 10 times the
antioxidant benefits of
grapes and twice that of
blueberries and is very
effective in such
areas:
* Antioxidant
* Antibacterial
* Anti-inflammatory
* Antimutagenic
* Cardiovascular System
Due to the high
antixoxidant content,
the
Acaí
berry is known as one of
the most powerful of the
anti-aging foods.
To obtain a healthy Acaí, the most vital aspect is the swiftness in the time frame between the growing and the processing. The Acaí berry fruit is extremely rich in antocianine, an antioxidation substance which assists in combatting free radicals and cholesterol. In addition for being recognized as one of the “Richest foods in iron” the Acaí fruit is rich in fibers that makes it highly recommended for people suffering problems in their digestive organs.
The fiber content is approximately 44% of the total fruit mass, making it one of the most fiber rich fruits.
The fruit pulp also has very good antibacterial properties, resulting in wide use as an astringent in South America. All of the above nutrients makes Acaí one of the most concentrated source of nutrients you can get in a fruit form.
A University of Florida study found that Acaí contains antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells. University of Florida was one of the first to investigate the fruit’s purported benefits. "This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope. We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies" the study noted.