Acai

Acai

Recently, the açaí berry has been marketed as a dietary superfruit and is a popular supplement additive. Many claim that açaí and its antioxidant qualities provide a variety of significant health benefits with regular use.

As of yet, there really is no credible scientific evidence that açaí consumption affects body weight or could promote weight loss as has been claimed on Oprah. Nevertheless the acia berry fruit does have excellent nutritional benefits and it is a good ingredient additive to supplements and functional foods. [CLICK HERE FOR A SUMMARY OF ITS ANTIOXIDANT, VITAMIN, MINERAL, AMINO ACID AND OTHER NUTRIENT CHARACTERISTICS].

A powdered preparation of freeze-dried açaí fruit pulp and skin was reported to contain (per 100 g of dry powder) 533.9 calories, 52.2 g carbohydrates, 8.1 g protein, and 32.5 g total fat. The carbohydrate portion included 44.2 g of dietary fiber and low sugar value (pulp is not sweet). The powder was also shown to contain (per 100 g): negligible vitamin C, 260 mg calcium, 4.4 mg iron, and 1002 U vitamin A, as well as aspartic acid and glutamic acid; the amino acid (protein building block) content was 7.59% of total dry weight. While clearly nutritious, this analysis indicates the acia berry is no where near as nutrient dense a food as, say, spirulina.

The fat content of açaí consists of oleic acid (56.2% of total fats), palmitic acid (24.1%), and linoleic acid (12.5%). Açaí also contains beta-sitosterol (78–91% of total sterols). The oil compartments in açaí fruit contain polyphenols such as procyanidin oligomers and vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid, which were shown to degrade substantially during storage or exposure to heat.

Featured Member Experts (click on them to view their profiles)