AÇAI - Euterpe palm fruit

[Al in Kona]

Euterpe oleracea and E. precatoria are two palms from the north of Brazil that produce a super nutricious fruit called AÇAI (Pronounced AH-SAH-EE).  Besides that these two palms are beautiful ornamentals.  Even if your particular climate doesn't allow you to grow these palms you still can purchase the processed fruit, usually in the form of juice or a frozen pulp.  It is very high in antioxidants (twice that of blueberries).  Want to slow those normal effects of aging so that we can be around to see our Pseudophoenix ekmanii palms mature?  Ha ha, then maybe you should start growing these palms or at least start drinking the AÇAI juice.  I know Don K. from Manaus (who posts here regularily) does - remember his post with photos showing how the Euterpe fruits are processed locally in Manaus?  

Anyway, I went to our local COSTCO super store recently to find the below pictured juice available here now.  It comes in a large size bottle (2.84L / 96 FL. OZ.) and is 100% juice.  Here locally AÇAI juice can also be found at some of the health food stores and  JAMBA Juice sells a Smoothie containing the Acai pulp.  You can learn a lot more about this great fruit by going to Google and do a search on AÇAI berry.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

But does it taste good Al???  Yesterday (read about it here) I was chewing on some P. sargentii cherries...  they weren't that great..   ???

[redant]

While I'm sure this stuff is good for you there seems to be an Amway type of selling program going on. People you haven't heard from in years call to tell you the benefits and to see if you would like to be on there monthly "program".

[Al in Kona]

Yeah it has a very good taste (flavor), sweet and pleasant.  Doesn't have that semi bitter taste of say, cranberry, which for some takes a bit of getting used to.

I don't know anything about that Amway thing.

[osideterry]

Does Euterpe edulis produce this fruit as well? It's the only Edulis I'm capable of growing, and I was actually looking into getting one anyway.

[amazondk]

As Al mentioned a posted some information on making fresh açai some time ago.  There is no comparison with fresh açai and anything you can buy in a store.  I like the juice with no sugar, but most people here sweeten it.  It is a thick drink with lots of fiber.  You do feel energized and it limits your hunger.  The only problem here is that during about 4 months of the year you can not get fresh juice as the fruit is not in season.  The locals in Manaus think that the açai from E. precatoria is better than that from E. olearcea.

Here are some of the shots from making fresh juice I posted.

Berries soaking in warm water - about 15 to 30 minutes.

Açai being squeeszed out of the berries.

[amazondk]

(osideterry @ Feb. 27 2007,15:50)

QUOTE

Does Euterpe edulis produce this fruit as well? It's the only Edulis I'm capable of growing, and I was actually looking into getting one anyway.

From what I understand the berries from the juçara or E. edulis make the same type of drink with similar qualities.  But, you need a lot of berries to make any quantity of juice.  The pulp on the berry is very thin.  You can get an idea by my pictures above how many berries are used.

In a days production the guy in the photo with the açai shop uses from 1 to 2 50 kilo sacks of berries.

dk

[Al in Kona]

Don, are there many people now actually farming Euterpe palms for the AÇAI ?  If so where is it mostly done?  I know the fruit is slowly gaining more popularity as more people become aware of it healthful properties.  You are lucky to be able to get it in its most pure unadulterated form.  How is it used in Brazil other than as a drink?

[amazondk]

Al,

The majority of açai production comes from the state of Para in the area of the Amazon river estuary.  They use mostly E. olearcea and there are varieties that fruit earlier and have more pulp on the berries.  A lot of the pulp from these areas goes into making frozen pulp which goes into beverages sold abroad and in the rest of Brazil.  The commercial açai beverages are mixed with banana pulp frequently and with guarana extract.  I think the Sambazon drink is like this.  The state of Para is really the place where more açai is consumed.  One common way to consume it is in a bowl with tapicoca beads mixed in.  Similiar to the stuff used in making tapicoca pudding.  Commercial açai plantations produce about 10 tons of berries per hectare per year.  Aside from drink the Euterpe makes excellent palm heart.  Today most palm heart in Brazil is either from E. olearcea or Bactris gasipaes.  The E. edulis was once the main palm heart source, but this has been mostly replaced by these other two trees.

dk

[Fred Zone 10A]

I like the juice with no sugar, but most people here sweeten it.  

In Brazil people add lots of sugar to fresh orange juice, so that goes to show you.

Recently they had açaí/banana ice cream at Trader Joe's.  I bought some out of curiosity.  I'm sticking with chocolate.

[Jason in Orlando]

I just purchased some Açai drink at the local grocery store (Publix), and got three different fruit mixtures.  Not sure which Euterpe species they used.  Also got some seeds recently from Rarepalmseeds which were offered as E. oleracea "Para Dwarf-Super Berry," which are said to begin fruiting at about three feet of trunk.  Seeds all germinated in about three weeks.  I'll keep you updated...

Jason

[Dave-Vero]

I hadn't noticed  Açai at Publix, but it's been available at the downtown sandwich shop for years now.

[paulgila]

its becoming pretty common here in socal,you can find it in places like henrys & even the major grocery chains.

naked juice made an acai beverage(where do you get that little mark under the c--i don't see it on MY computer?)& it was VERY good .

[amazondk]

Paul,

I have my keyboarded configured to go back and forth from Portuguese to English as I write a lot of Portuguese.  But, there are special character shortcuts the ç should be - ç, Ç

CTRL+, (COMMA), c or C

dk

[Jeff Searle]

According to my wife( register nurse) this stuff has been around for many years. It's been of lately that a couple of people have tried to get me to sign up and start buying/drinking this juice. A couple different people sware buy it, and then more people have told me it's a waste of alot of money. So I just don't know. What I do know is, I personally have a friend that is making thousands of dollars a week!!

Jeff

[redant]

(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 28 2007,08:29)

QUOTE

According to my wife( register nurse) this stuff has been around for many years. It's been of lately that a couple of people have tried to get me to sign up and start buying/drinking this juice. A couple different people sware buy it, and then more people have told me it's a waste of alot of money. So I just don't know. What I do know is, I personally have a friend that is making thousands of dollars a week!!

Jeff

My wife was an RN as well, moved up to a nurse practitioner, which means more reasonability, more liability and little to no more money.

So it seems you have seen the Amway type of approach as well. Maybe it's just a S. FL thing.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Mona Vie is the multi level marketing product.  It sells for $45 per liter or thereabouts.  A little pricey for fruit juice.  They also have a version with condroitin/glucosamine for us old guys.  I think it really does work, but you don't need to spend $45 for a nice wine bottle looking container.

Jerry

[amazondk]

I get my fresh squeezed Açai juice for 3 reais a liter, that is about 1.50 USD a liter.  We normally by 1 liter a day when in season.  It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about 4 days.  The stuff is about the consistancy of the drinkable yogurt.  I know that it gives you energy, and I have a feeling that it is also good for a guys sexual performance.  At least that is what they claim, and I do notice a little more energy in that area when I regularly consume the stuff.  But, having a great woman around is much more of a factor than drinking açai.

[Jeff Searle]

(amazondk @ Feb. 28 2007,16:03)

QUOTE

I get my fresh squeezed Açai juice for 3 reais a liter, that is about 1.50 USD a liter.  We normally by 1 liter a day when in season.  It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about 4 days.  The stuff is about the consistancy of the drinkable yogurt.  I know that it gives you energy, and I have a feeling that it is also good for a guys sexual performance.  At least that is what they claim, and I do notice a little more energy in that area when I regularly consume the stuff.  But, having a great woman around is much more of a factor than drinking açai.

Don,

   Everthing you just said was beautiful. Cheap prices and good women!

Jeff

[osideterry]

I'm drinking a "Zola Açai" right now. $2.50 for 11 fluid oz. Tastes halfway between blackberry and blueberry, no odd tastes at all. Claims to be full of anitoxidents and buying it will save the rainforest.

Ingredients: Açai Fruit Pulp, Evaporated Organic Cane Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Guaraná Powder (24mg natural caffeine), Soy Lecithen, Natural Flavor.

[amazondk]

(osideterry @ Feb. 28 2007,20:30)

QUOTE

I'm drinking a "Zola Açai" right now. $2.50 for 11 fluid oz. Tastes halfway between blackberry and blueberry, no odd tastes at all. Claims to be full of anitoxidents and buying it will save the rainforest.

Ingredients: Açai Fruit Pulp, Evaporated Organic Cane Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Guaraná Powder (24mg natural caffeine), Soy Lecithen, Natural Flavor.

Terry,

Unfortunately that save the rain forest stuff is just so much crap put out to sell the stuff.  The açai produced for export to the USA for these drinks comes from plantations in areas that either never were rainforest, or if they were were converted to other uses a long time ago.  And,  in some cases the forest is cut down to plant E. olearcea for commercial production.  At best there is no impact, but in reality growing E. olearcea more than likely has a net negative impact on the amount of forest standing.  I don't see this as a problem as the area is small and it generates revenue for the inhabitants of the area and does not have a major impact on the ecosystem as the land areas are relatively small.  And, palm trees still fix carbon.

The use of forest grown E. precatoria can not produce the quantities of berries effectively to warrant commercial production of pulp.  Forests are not protected due to harvest of açai berries from natural forests.  Natural forests are protected by sustainable logging practices and forest management and parks and other types of convservation units managed by the government.  

A lot of people use this rain forest thing with no knowledge of the realities of Amazonia. And, it sounds good I guess.  You don't see them saying buy Brazilian hardwood flooring and save the rain forest.  But, this may be more true than buying açai.

dk

[Ashton]

Say Al, Dean, Bo, Don, or other informed parties,  

Will Euterpe oleracea grow in Hawaii? If it is grown there, does it carry a fair amount of fruit?

Ashton

[www.dadluvsu.com]

OH!  I'm glad you bumped this thread up Ashton!  I tried some of this juice this past weekend at it was delish!

[Nigel]

I have this pomegranate with acai in my fridge now.

Its a really nice drink, but a little expensive.

Its one of those things worth paying a little extra for, one of my little treats each week.

[Jeff Searle]

(Ashton @ Apr. 12 2007,19:00)

QUOTE

Say Al, Dean, Bo, Don, or other informed parties,  

Will Euterpe oleracea grow in Hawaii? If it is grown there, does it carry a fair amount of fruit?

Ashton

Aston,

 Like a weed there, here too in South Florida.

Jeff

[bruno]

Hello Amazon DK, I have planted a few euterpe on my piece of land in sainte Marie island off the east coast of Madagascar. Do these palms need to have their feet near the water in order to grow well? thanks, bruno

[Mike4284m]

Vitaminwater has a new drink containing açai.  I tryed it for the hell of it and it was pretty good, although I doubt you'd benefit much from the small amounts of fruit extracts it contains.

Vitaminwater - XXXAntioxidants

[MattyB]

I love everything about these palms except the fact that they struggle (or die) here.  I had to get a shot of Deans E. oleracea while recently in Hawaii.  It's got that chocholatey crownshaft thing starting.

[bruno]

no more news from amazondk?

bruno

[Kris]

dear Guys !

this thread poped up here in my comp at the time i was leaving,its night here.

i will join the discussion on this antioxidents tomarrow !

so good night friends & have a nice dream...

Love,

Kris  

[Adrian_L]

Even Haagen-Daz has Acai sorbet. My wife bought a pint a few weeks ago, and it was quite tasty. It was especially good when mixed with their Honey and Cream flavor ice cream, although I suspect vanilla will do just fine.

[Kris]

Dear friends  

nice topic.as for the palm nut juice..i have no idea.but the

bottle that was seen in the first still_pomgranate juice and 100% nutricious etc..that's really true.

i know many old men here,their face still shines in youthfulness.and if they get their grey hairs dyed then they are able compitators to bachelors like me.no jokes man its the truth.when i enquired them what is the elixer these folks drink.they told me that its pomogranate juice daily.not bottled stuff.but freashly preapared by their wife's.

and so i just tried their receipy.as some pointed out even

after filtering the crushed seeds.they were irritating the

thorax section.but i felt 10 years younger.and some of those men folks are in their 65 plus years and they are

widower.but they told me they still find young women

inteasting.(let me not elabourate further on that).

but pomogranate juice works.

thanks guys for bringing some health related topics too !

Love,

Kris  

[feijoa]

It's only been recent (last five-six years) that Açaí became popular, or mass marketed in the USA - all thanks to a million dollar marketing campaign by a company called Sambazon (http://www.sambazon.com).

The company sells frozen Açaí or Amazon Cherry purée (what made them famous) in small packets that can be found in most grocery store frozen sections. They make great snacks on their own (out of packet) or blended into smoothies. The Cherry is quite unique in flavor and contains 850mg of Vitamin C per serving.

[SubTropicRay]

I had an Acai smoothie the other day.  Good stuff.