Acai Berry: Information about the Acai Palm Fruit

Acai berry (pronounced as "ah-sigh-ee") is the fruit of a species of palm tree called acai palm or aqai (Euterpe oleracea), which is grown mainly in swamps and floodplains in Central and South America. This fruit is round in shape, about 1-inch (25 mm) in circumference. Its color is black-purple and has a large seed in it. Each year, there are two crops of fruits being produced. It has a berry cum chocolate flavor and provides exceptional nutrition. It has been cultivated for hundreds of years by the Native Americans as the acai berry is a staple of the local diet.

Besides being served as food, acai berry is also used in flavoring Tequila, a blue agave-based spirit. The fronds of açaí palm are used in commercial for making for example hats, mats, baskets, brooms and roof thatch. The trunk is used for constructing building or may be processed to yield minerals. Acai seeds are usually ground to make livestock food or organic soil component as the seeds contain polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids,

Recently however, this acai palm’s fruit has been marketed as dietary supplements and weight loss products in various forms, for example tablets, juice, smoothies, instant drink powders, and whole fruit. It became tremendously popular in the west in year 2008 when it was mentioned in the Oprah Winfrey Show by Dr.Oz. In the TV show, Dr.Oz said that the acai berry looked like a health food with nutritional benefits and it’s naturally deep colors reflect its antioxidant power, as good as any antioxidant else. However, marketers of acai products have highlighted one of the things that he said and claim that Dr.Oz endorsed their products for weight loss. Dr.Oz himself has denied that claim and the lawyers of the TV show have begun investigating the alleged statements.

Acai Berry Scams : The Dark Side of Online Marketing ^New!

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References:

Wikipedia-Acai Palm
Susan Donaldson James. "'Superfood' Açaí May not Be Worth Price: Oprah's Dr. Oz Says Açai Is Healthy but No Cure-all; Dieter Feels Ripped Off", ABC News, December 12, 2008.

This page was last modified on: May 20, 2010