The Popularity Of The Acai Berry

The Acai Berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a nutrient packed fruit that is found in the flood plains of the Amazon Rainforest

. It is a traditional staple of the Amazonian diet but has only gained prominence in the West in recent years. Its rise to prominence started when it was named as one of the top 10 superfoods on the Oprah Winfrey Show and endorsed by Dr Nicholas Perricone, a leading dermatologist and author of The Perricone Promise.

Rainforest Foods Acai berry is sourced from one of the worlds leading producers. Its founders discovered Acai berry during a Millennium-eve surfing trip, and have since created a FairTrade-accredited supply chain that benefits thousands of local families, as well as protecting the Amazon rainforest through sustainable agriculture. A portion of all its profits is returned to the Amazon to promote education, provide health care and enable rainforest protection. This approach has won it major awards.

Acai has spent the latter part of the Noughties basking in deserved glory, but time, tide and research wait for no berry. There is a pretender to its crown, a tough street fighter from the harsh uplands of Patagonia. Maqui berry has in fact been known locally for hundreds of years, and has a central place in the gastronomic and cultural life of the Mapuche people. It boasts an ORAC score even higher than Acai, and has recently performed well in scientific experiments investigating its effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory.

The popularity of the Acai Berry is due to its nutritional profile with its high concentration of antioxidants, essential fatty acids and amino acids making it one of the most nutritious foods on earth. It is not your typical fruit in that it contains a high fat percentage, good fat mind you. It is this high fat content which has meant that it has been inaccessible to consumers living outside of the Amazon rainforest until recent times. Its fat content means that the fresh fruit goes rancid if not consumed within 24 hours. However, recent innovations in food preservation have meant that a processed version of the fruit can be enjoyed by consumers around the world using a technique called freeze drying which preserves the fruit but also maintains its nutritional benefits.

Aa is the main food staple of river communities in the Amazon estuary,' says the agronomist Oscar Nogueira. It is drunk for every meal - in much the same way as bread or rice is eaten in other cultures.

Acai Berry (Euterpe Oleracea) has a high concentration of anthocyanins that act as antioxidants and are responsible for many of the health promoting properties of the berry. Reported health benefits are wide ranging and include:

1) Positively impacting on cholesterol levels

2) Improving sex drive

3) Enhancing digestive function

4) Improving energy levels and mental acuity

5) Improving skin condition and reducing premature aging

However, it is important to note that the amount of research that has been carried out on the Acai Berry is still relatively limited with most of the health claims being based on anecdotal reports rather than peer reviewed scientific studies or other credible sources.

Finding credible information on the Internet about the acai berry is difficult. Try doing a search for Acai Berry and you will likely come across pages of commercial sites (such as this website) whose primary objective is to sell a product. At Rainforest Foods, we try to be as objective as possible when reviewing different products and try to steer away from marketing hype. However, we also feel that it is important for consumers to get information from independent and impartial sources to formulate their own opinions.

by: Mark Dean

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