Acai: The Next "Superfood"

Berry from Brazil Has Amazing Antioxidant Properties

Belem is a city of about 1.3 million population in Para state, Brazil. It is one of Brazil's busiest ports located about 60 miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. Belem is built on a number of small islands intersected by channels and other rivers. The city was founded in 1616 and was the first European colony on the Amazon. Belem grew tremendously during the rubber boom of the nineteenth century. Today the newer parts of the city are modern with modern buildings and skyscrapers while the older areas retain their charm with tree-lined squares and historic churches.

Each morning, hundreds of wooden boats converge on an open-air market called the Ver-O-Peso, which means See the Weight Market. All through the morning you will see hundreds of the locals carrying woven baskets that contain a dark, shiny fruit plucked from the 80-foot tall palm trees that line the river islands. The baskets contain the world's newest "super food," the Acai berry. Belem is one of the few places in the world where you can obtain the berry, and in the past couple of years demand for the fruit around the world has skyrocketed. Recently Coca Cola has entered into a distribution agreement with one of the suppliers and Anheuser Busch already adds the juice to its new energy drink 180 Blue.

The acai (pronounced Ah-sigh-ee) is touted as being packed with more antioxidants than blueberries or pomegranate. It also contains large amounts of Omega Fatty Acids, protein, and fiber. It is sort of like all of the good components of the Mediterranean Diet rolled into a berry with some 30x more antioxidants than red wine and a fatty acid profile that is similar to olive oil.

A few years back, a liter of acai juice sold for about 52 cents, but the price has risen recently to about $2.60, almost putting it out of reach for the locals. But many claim that they are addicted to the berries, mixing it with a starchy tuber called manioc that has been a staple of their diet for hundreds of years.