I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting the site. I hope you find it informative with sufficient detail to satisfy every ones interest level. I really believe in the Acai Berry and what it can do for ones personal health.
The Overall Picture
In this Article, we are going to cover the fruit itself, a little scientific data, where it comes from, various uses of the total Palm, some research information and why everyone is talking about the Acai berry.
The Palm
The Acai Palm (pronounced "ah-SIGH-ee"), loosely translates to, "The Fruit that Cries." It is a member of the Genus Euterpe, which contains 7 species of Palms native to Tropical, Central and South America, from Belize South, to Brazil and Peru, growing mainly in Floodplains and Swamp areas.
Euterpe are tall, slender palms growing between 60 and 100 feet with feather shaped leaves expanding to approximately 3 feet in length.
The Fruit
The Fruit is a small, round, black to purple drupe about 1" in diameter, similar in appearance, and size, to a grape but with much less pulp. The berry grows in branched bunches of 700 to 900 berries per branch. On the average, two crops of fruit are produced each year. The fruit has a single, large seed about 1/4" to 3/8" in diameter. It is important to note that no one eats the Acai Berry seed, which constitutes approximately 80% of the entire berry.The skin of a ripe Acai Berry is deep purple in color, or green, depending on the kind of Acai and its maturity. The flesh or meaty portion of the berry is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 5/16" or less. Perfect Acai, our product, comes from Brazil and is purple in color. It is very important to note that the Acai Berry is extremely perishable. The skin and the pulp must be processed or Flash-Frozen within 24 hours or it will rot.
Various Uses
Setting aside the use of the berry for food, the palm has other commercial uses. The leaves may be made into hats, mats, baskets, brooms and roof thatch for homes. The trunk, which is resistant to pests, much like our red wood, is an excellent wood and is used as a construction material for numerous building applications. The soft inner part of the palm is often consumed by the locals in their salads.
When it comes to the berry, there was a study conducted of three traditional Caboclo (a person of mixed Brazilian Amerindian and European descent) populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, that confirmed the palm was the most important plant species because the fruit makes up to 42% of their total food intake, by weight. (Murrieta et al., 1999)
We already mentioned that the seeds comprise 80% of the berries mass, leaving only 20% of the berry for human consumption. Some authorities say the percentage is as high as 90% seed. In any event, the seeds are ground for livestock food or as a component of organic soil for plants. Planted seeds are used for new palm tree stock. Under the right growing conditions, the seeds will require several months before they turn into seedlings, suitable for planting. So as you can see, there isn't much of the Acai Palm that is not used for personal and commercial applications.
Why everyone is talking about Acai
First and foremost, Acai is rich in antioxidants. It has more than any other food product. It is also rich in Amino acids and essential fatty acids, like that found in avocados and olive oil. Vegans tend to eat and drink more Acai because it is hard to find the good oils when not consuming meat products. This tiny little berry packs a nutritional punch second to none. In fact, some experts view it to be the worlds most "complete" natural food.
The Brazilian locals have eaten the Acai Berry for centuries, and many legends exist about Acai's incredible healing and sustaining powers. For nutritional information, please see, Acai - Nutritional Breakdown.
With claims of anti-aging effects, lowering cholesterol, boosting energy levels, etc., it is no wonder people are calling it the new wonder food. To be more specific, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, (his picture is to the right of aforementioned paragraph), author of many anti-aging books and a famous physician in his own right, has called Acai the number one super food. Oprah Winfrey has show cased Acai on her TV program, in addition to TheToday Show, The CBS Early Show, in the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, just to mention a few. For a detailed list of Health Benefits, please see, Acai Berry and Health.
