Does it really matter where you buy Acai Berry products? Absolutely! Not all Acai products created equal! There so many factors that go into the processing of the Acai Berry, that customers should know what to look for before buying!





Given the sudden popularity of this purple gem, many companies are jumping on the band wagon to produce as many Acai products as they can. That means the consumer needs to do their homework to find a manufacturer that hasn’t taken any shortcuts in their processing and ingredients. If we are not careful, we could end up with a product that has lost its active properties, is full of fillers or has unwanted chemicals.



Before you purchase Acai products, make sure the product lines up with these standards:



1) Certified Organic Ingredients. When using non-organic fruits, you could be exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. A legitimate company will produce a certificate to prove their product is Certified Organic. Non-organic antioxidant products can contain chemical pesticides, herbicides and other toxins.



2) Acai Must Be Processed Within 24 Hours. Safely transporting this little gem, often called The Crown Jewel of the Amazon, across the world is not an easy task! This highly potent berry starts losing its active properties within 24 hours of being picked. As you can imagine, for companies that care about producing a quality product, this is no simple feat.



3) Acai and Other Ingredients That Are Not Processed in China. Many products on the market today are processed in China, where they are known for using harsh chemicals and they do not have any regulations for pesticide use, nor do they have organic guidelines. Acai processing plants in China often use unregulated soy, fillers and/or chemicals in the extraction process.



4) Freeze-Dried and Not Spray Dried Acai. To preserve the berry’s nutrients, Acai must be freeze-dried. Spray drying involves heating the berries at high temperatures, which destroys the active properties. In this process, they are also sprayed with a carrier such as maltodextrin to dry them out. When this occurs, a large portion of the resulting Acai powder is actually maltodextrin.  



5) Acai Should Never Be Overheated. During normal pasteurization, high heat is involved. Any Acai juice product should only be flash-pasteurized, which does not harm the enzyme level of the berry and is FDA approved.



6) No Fillers Such as Soy or Maltodextrin in Processing. During the extraction of the pulp from the pit, fillers, chemicals and carriers should not be used. These items used in the manufacturing process remain a part of the end product, but are not required to be listed on the label because they are not considered to be an “added ingredient.”



7) No Fillers or Water Added to the Product. Adding fillers makes the Acai fluffier and bulks it up, so you are not getting as much Acai. Check the label for such fillers as soy, corn, maltodextrin, water and lots of other concentrated fruit juices. After all, when we buy Acai, we want Acai.



No Added Sugar, Artificial sweeteners, Fructose or Stimulants. Look to see that the Acai does not have added sugar. Sugar is not good for our immune systems, weight and it can cause inflammation. Also, some products may have added stimulants like caffeine or guarana.



9) No Chemical Preservatives. If we are seeking a nutritional product for our health, why would we want to consume chemicals along with it? For example, Sodium Benzoate appears in our soda and snack cakes, but why would we want it in our health foods? In 2006, the FDA re-opened their investigations into the use of Sodium Benzoate in soft drinks, because of the discovery of the breakdown into Benzene that can occur when mixed with ascorbic acid (vitamin C).



10) ORAC Lab Testing Done on Actual Product. Make sure the company’s reported ORAC (antioxidant) levels are based upon tests done on their actual Acai product and not just reports from Acai right off the tree. Just because Acai Berries have a high ORAC score when picked, does not mean it still does after the manufacturing.



As we can see, not all Acai products are created equal. In fact, a person will have a hard time finding Acai that can measure up to all 10 standards! So far, we have only found one Acai product line that passes all of these tests and that is Amazon Thunder!



Resources and Further Reading:



Amazon Acai Berry.net – All About the Acai Berry: www.AmazonAcaiBerry.net



FDA re-opens probe into benzene contamination of soft drinks – by Chris Mercer, 2/15/2006 www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=65840-soft-drinks-fda-benzene 

Found prospering in the swampy Amazon Rainforest, acai berries provide nutrients our bodies need. In the tropical floodplain areas of Central and South America, the acai palm berry, grows in bunches of 700-900 berries.


Acai has an astounding number of health benefits due to its sizeable amounts of fiber, antioxidants, fatty acids, and proteins. The acai berries require humidity and wetland conditions to grow well. Thousands of palm trees per acre have been recorded in areas of the rainforest.


Acai berries begin as a green color and ripen to a deep purple. Each acai palm stem usually produces four to eight bunches of fruit during the average year with fruits ripening the heaviest in the dry season from July to December.


The acai palm thrives throughout the lowland flood areas where it forms in large groves. In one of nature’s wonders, when one of acai’s stems is cut, more stems will grow back and the cutting encourages more fruit to grow on the remaining stems.


Acai palm is now also the world’s main source of palm hearts. In Brazilian herbal medicine, the oil of the acai berries is used to treat diarrhea; the grated berry rind is used as a topical wash for skin ulcers; and the fruit seeds are crushed and made into a treatment for fevers.


Scientists are currently studying acai to determine just how nutritionally valuable it is. The researchers are discovering ways to use the acai berries to fight such diseases as diabetes, cancer, digestive issues, obesity, blood clotting ailments, obesity, and much more.


Experts are uncertain how much effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because factors such as metabolism, nutrient absorption, and other biochemical processes may influence the antioxidants’ chemical activity.


Brazilians have long used acai berries to treat skin conditions and digestive disorders. Current medical research suggests acai products can help consumer’s lower cholesterol, get energized, and lose weight.


We are just beginning to understand all the health benefits of the acai palm. It can also be harvested for its delicious heart-of-palm, which tastes great in salads. In Colombia, where the acai palm grows along the Pacific coast, acai berries are turned into a popular drink.


In a University of Florida study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai fruit pulp and each extract was prepared at seven separate concentration levels. When applied for 24 hours, four of the extracts were shown to kill a significant number of leukemia cells. The UF study shows that research on foods not commonly found or consumed in the United States is extremely important, because it may lead to undiscovered health benefits of food nutrition.


Eating a balanced diet of at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables is recommended for promoting optimal health. Research on the effects of diet on chronic diseases show an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk for many illnesses.


One of a kind, acai berries also has a high concentration of essential acids, specifically monounsaturated oleic acid. This nutrient helps diminish inflammation, which is the leading cause of the detrimental health we experience, as we get older.

Monavie Acai Berry products are made up of a number of fruit juices such as prune, pear, apricot, banana, passion fruit and can best be described as a product made from the acai berry.

Acai is a small delicious grape like berry grown in Northern Brazil’s Amazon Valley where the natives of Brazil have used the berry for centuries as a staple food, health tonic and because they discovered it has unique healing properties and high nutritional content. The acai berry has a delicious taste similar to chocolate and is now considered one of nature’s perfect foods owing to its rich antioxidant content and unique health benefits.

Recently Oprah from the Oprah Winfrey show in the USA said that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world. Because acai berries are a highly perishable it is necessary to process the fruit into pulp which is dehydrated and freeze dried into Monavie. Freeze drying of acai has been found to be the best preservation method and this freeze dried powder is commonly used today in Mona Vie capsules and juices.

Monavie juice contains 100% fruit juice, together with puree and preservatives, which removes or dilutes many benefits of the acai berry. Positive feedback received from consumers about Monavie Acai Berry products indicate they have a pleasant taste and because research has shown the acai helps build immunity and fight diseases the products today are becoming increasingly popular amongst young and old users.

Recent research has shown the remarkable acai berry to be a super food because it has ten times the antioxidant benefits of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Studies have also shown acai berries to be rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids such as vitamin B1, B2, B3, vitamin C, E, iron potassium, phosphorous and calcium.

As a health product Monavie Acai Berry products are particularly popular because they provide a rich source of amino acids, protein, omega fats and anthocyanins. Unfortunately Acai berry products are not universally available on the market although they can be obtained generally in capsule form from authorized online distributors. These day’s Monavie Acai Berry products are becoming increasingly popular.

Although the acai berry has been used in Brazil for hundreds of years it has only recently has been commercially available in the Western world. For example, there are a number of capsule supplements on the market such as Acai Berry Boom and the popular Acai Gold which is a high quality 100% acai capsule. Another popular Monavie Acai Berry product is its acai juice consumed not only because of its taste but because of the healthy properties the fruit has that helps to fight many diseases from diabetes to arthritis.

However, shrewd consumers today have learnt that to get the best benefits only 100% pure acai juice imported from Brazil should be consumed. For many generations Brazilians have been using acai berries to treat health conditions such as digestive problems and skin disorders. Over the past few years some significant research and study has been undertaken on acai berries in institutions outside Brazil.

For example University research in the USA has shown that testing on acai berry extracts have unlocked interesting results after tests were conducted on leukemia cells. Repots have indicated this was an encouraging result because compounds that show positive action against cancer cells are generally likely to have a beneficial effect in the human body. By using Monavie Acai Berry products and juices people have noticed an amazing change for the better in their health and wellbeing.