Acai Berry Tree, Fruit, Powder
Acai Tree
Acai palm belongs to the family Arecaceae and is a member of the genus Euterpe. There are eight species of palms in the genus Euterpe that grow in South America and Brazil Amazon rain forests. Trees in the genus Euterpe grows to 15-30 meters height, like a coconut tree, it has a pinnate leaves like a crown on top of the tree which are about 3 meters long. Acai palms are tall, slender and relatively fast growing trees. Acai palms are cultivated commercially in the South America and parts of Brazil for the heart of palm and fruit. Acai commonly has 4-8 stems of 10 -15 cm in diameter developed form a single seed. Each stem produces fruits in bunches about four to eight bunches are produced. Annually we can yield about 24 kilograms of fruits from each stem. Stem are cut down to yield heart of palm, heart of palm do not have any nutritional value but they have been staple food for the local people for years and used to export to different countries.
Acai Fruit
The fruit of the Acai palm is called as Acai berry. Acai palm produces fruits in bunches there are about 700-900 fruits per bunch. Acai fruit is a small, round drupe about 2.5 cm in the early stage it look green in color but as the berry ripe the color changes to black- purple. It looks similar to the grape in size. Like all the fruits, Acai berry as three regions exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp. The outer most layer of the fruit is called exocarp which is the skin middle layer is called mesocarp which is about 1mm thick and the inner layer is called endocarp which contains seed. Most of the volume of the fruit is occupied by the seed which as no commercial value and nutritional value. All the nutritional value of the fruit lies in the skin and the pulpy mesocarp. Local Amazon people harvest Acai berry as food about 42 percent of their diet contains Acai berry. Indigenous people of Amazon use Acai berry for medicinal purpose for hundreds of years. Juice and pulp of this Acai berry are added in various food items like smoothies, sodas etc. There are many health benefits associated with Acai berry. Acai berry very rich in antioxidants and other vital nutrients those are essential for healthy life. Acai berry contains about 40 percent of fiber in the dry weight and good fatty acids and amino acids are present in large quantities. Vitamin and minerals there in Acai berry makes it a wonder fruit as it fulfills all the nutritional requirements of the body. Due to this there is a increase in demand for Acai berry based products, within a few years after introducing Acai berry to the modern world it as gain a huge popularity. Acai berry has been featured in the famous show of Oprah and many other famous national news channels. Acai berry has proven to be one of the best products to be included in the weight loss program it is also remarked as the best anti aging product because of the antioxidant concentration it contains. University of Florida in their research found that Acai berry extracts are able to destroy cells in the cancer cell cultures in- vitro. Dr Perricone has included Acai berry in the top ten super food list.
After knowing all the facts about Acai berry and its ability to lose weight, I included Acai berry in my weight loss plan now I take Acai berry daily in my diet. Soon after starting Acai berry diet, I noticed that my body energy level has increased and I feel active throughout the day. 2 weeks after starting the Acai berry diet, I noticed that I have reduced 8 pounds of excess weight. All normal illness like headache and stomach cramps are gone by taking Acai berry diet. Acai berry is truly a wonder fruit.
Acai Powder
Since we can get fresh Acai berry daily because they are highly perishable, different companies market Acai berry in different forms like juices, pills, capsules etc. Acai berry powder is very popular in the market and it is believed that Acai powder yields better results the other forms of Acai because Acai powder is made from the fresh and pure Acai berry skin and pulp after separating the seed that have no important nutritional value. Powder is prepared by freeze drying skin and pulp removing moisture from it without losing any nutrition's like vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids that are heat sensitive. Freeze- dried Acai berry powder is superior in nutritional value then the powders that are made by using spray dried or drum dried products, which lacks the nutritional value as they are subjected to high temperatures. Most of the companies add extracts of other fruits to increase the nutritional value and to aid absorption of Acai berry nutrients into the body. Commonly used fruit is camu camu that is rich in vitamin C it helps the body to absorb antioxidants and other nutrients in Acai berry ensures that we get full benefits of Acai berry. Antioxidants help fight against the free radicals decreasing the rate of aging. Fiber, essential fatty acids and amino acids present in the powder helps in improving the heart function and digestive system health. Vitamins and minerals boost the metabolic process keeping the body active, healthy and energized.
I prefer Acai powder because it tastes great. There are many different brands available in the market, you can order Acai powder on the Internet or purchase it form the local food and health stores. Taking Acai berry powder I have benefited in many ways. Acai powder is totally natural.