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Exotic Antioxidant Superfruits Volume 1: Açaí Powerful Antioxidant Plant Food, Exceptional ORAC Phenolic, Caloric, Fat, Fiber and Micronutrient Contents Version 2006 The Berry Doctor Introduction ................................................................................... 3 Macronutrient content ................................................................. 3 Table 1, Macronutrients .............................................................. 3 Dietary fats ................................................................................... 4 Dietary fiber ................................................................................... 4 Phytosterols................................................................................... 4 Micronutrient content .................................................................. 4 Table 2, Essential micronutrients ............................................... 4 Essential minerals and vitamin E ................................................ 4 Discussion and literature ............................................................. 4 Essential minerals ........................................................................ 4 Vitamin E........................................................................................ 5 Calcium ......................................................................................... 5 Magnesium ................................................................................... 5 Zinc ................................................................................................ 5 Fats ............................................................................................... 5 Dietary fiber .................................................................................. 6 Amino acids and protein .............................................................. 6 Phenolic antioxidants .................................................................. 6 Medical literature through 2006 ................................................ 7 Research directions, health effects ............................................ 12 References ................................................................................... 12 About the author ........................................................................... 13 © Copyright 2007. Berry Doctor Corp. All rights reserved

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Introduction

Macronutrient Content

Just by its deep violet color, you know there is something special about açaí, the tropical palmberry (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.). With pigmentation so dense, its juice stains anything it touches – skin, cowhide, containers, even teeth when frequently taken undiluted.

Upon review of the tables below are several new facts about the nutrient content of açaí. As the assessment of this berry's nutritional composition comes from two sources (6,9) whose açaí samples were not identical, average or approximated data are presented in the following discussion: Table 1. Macronutrients Used for food, beverages, medicines and dyes 1. the caloric value of a single servAçaí Dietary ReferGoji Blueberry Açaí (a) (b) ence Intake “Wolfberry” by Amazon peasants over centuries, açaí has ing (approximately 600 calories per (c) (d) blazed its way into popularity on the US marstandard 100 g) is exceptional among ket over recent years as one of Nature's sucomparative berry fruit such as goji Nutrients Euterpe Euterpe NAS Lycium Vaccinium per 100 g oleraceae oleraceae (adults) barbarum angustifolium perfoods with a delicious taste and versatility (“wolfberry”, Lycium barbarum L.) and of beverage and food applications. lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium L.), apparently due to the reEnergy, cal 657 534 -370 57 Until recently, however, this reputation was markably high fat content of açaí Total fats, g 52.6 32.5 20-35 g 8.2 0.4 based on assumptions that such a legendary 2. the total fat content for açaí berry Protein, g 10.0 8.1 46-56 g 11.7 0.7 and richly pigmented fruit would be nutritious is highly unusual for fruit, about 40% Carbohy-52.2 130 g 67.7 14.0 and have exceptional antioxidant properties. of dry weight drates, g Due to the remoteness and obscurity of açaí, 3. it has a very high fiber content, Dietary fiber, g 25.2 44.2 25-38 g 10.0 2.1 and its highly perishable nature, no contract approximately 35% laboratory assays were available and there 4. relative to the National Academy Total, g 91.5 137 (?) 97.6 17.2 were few scientific studies in the medical or of Sciences (NAS) Dietary Reference a) Laboratorio Catarinense SA, Joinville, Brazil, ref. 6 b) Schauss et al., ref. 9 food science literature. Intakes (DRI) and the mineral-dense c) Gross et al., ref. 4 goji berry, açaí has remarkable cond) ref. 2 ? variations in macronutrient assays may account for why this value exceeds 100 Even now at the end of 2006, there are only tents of several essential minerals – 10 medical reports on açaí listed in PubMed, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, the online database of medical publications by phosphorus, potassium and zinc the US National Library of Medicine (http://pubmed.gov). 5. lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamins A and E are dense in concentration, 1000 IU and 45 mg per 100 g, respectively. 67% of the total tocopherols in açaí pulp However, two recent research publications and one contract assay have supplied new are alpha-tocopherol (6). information about açaí that allows comparisons with other better-known nutritious, antioxidant fruits -- in this example, goji (“wolfberry”) and blueberry. Below is a summary By comparison with the two other berry species shown - goji and blueberries - the new of these new findings. açaí analyses demonstrate a much higher energy, fat and fiber yield. By comparison to most plant foods, goji berry is also a high-calorie, nutrient-dense fruit (4), whereas 3