WHERE TO BUY AÇAÍ AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS FRUIT
by Baia Food on Jan 25, 2019
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You may have heard great things about this fruit and are looking for where to buy açaí.
How to get it?
At Baia we have freeze-dried Açai. A cold dehydration process that maintains 98% of the nutrients of this fruit. More than frozen pulp and easier to use and preserve.
You can get the highest quality açaí sold in Spain here and start enjoying today.
You just have to add 5g to your favorite smoothie, juice or yogurt.
And if you want to know more about this Brazilian fruit
In this post we tell you everything and answer all the questions you may have.
WHAT IS ACAI?
The açaí, acaí, asaí, or acai berry, is the fruit of the palm tree (Euterpe Oleracea) native to the Eastern Amazon , and is found in greatest abundance in the state of Pará, Brazil. It also grows in other Brazilian states such as Amapá, Amazonas and Maranhão, as well as in other countries such as Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela and Bolivia.
Traditionally the fruit was collected in the Amazon, filled with large braided baskets and taken in small canoes and large boats to the open markets of the city of Belem.
Among them, the largest is the Ver-o-Peso market where you can buy açaí and verify its quality. When the boats approach the Ver-o-Peso market you can hear the vendors shouting “Sangre de Vaca!” This is how they locally refer to this wine-colored fruit.
1. THE ACAI BERRY
The açaí berry measures 10 to 14 mm in diameter and has a color that can range from dark red to intense purple.
The pulp represents only 10% of the fruit, the rest being the seed. Its flavor is a mix between chocolate and forest fruits.
Acai fruit, the largest volume of the fruit corresponds to the seed.
2. THE AÇAIZEROS
The palm trees that produce the açaí fruit are the açaizeros ; They can reach more than 25 m in height. Their trunks have a diameter of 9 to 16 cm and usually grow in groups of 4-9, but up to 25 have been observed together.
Acacia trees produce flowers and fruit throughout the year , although with periods of greater abundance depending on the area. In general, the highest production occurs from July to December. This allows you to have açaí pulp and juice throughout the year.
Each palm tree trunk can produce 4-8 clusters with 4kg of fruit each. But if the young trunks are cut and other plants growing around them are eliminated, palm trees can produce 10,000-12,000 kg of fruit per year in terra firma forests and up to 15,000 kg if in flooded forests.
Cultivation of açaizeros, from our ORGANIC AÇAI.
AÇAÍ PROPERTIES AND BENEFITS
This Brazilian fruit has become popular for its great properties and benefits, among which are:
1. ANTIOXIDANT POWER
Açaí has a much higher antioxidant power than other berries, red fruits and foods. You can check its ORAC value, a scale created by the US Department of Agriculture, to measure the absorption capacity of oxygen free radicals.
As you can see, the açaí fruit has a much higher value than other fruits that are very popular today for their antioxidant power, such as blueberries and raspberries. Source: US Department of Agriculture
It's normal that everyone wants to know where to buy açaí...
The antioxidants in açaí help fight the effects of free radicals , which in case you don't know, are molecules or atoms that have lost an electron, and are unstable. They seek stability by stealing an electron from another molecule, converting it, in turn, into a free radical. They cause great damage by attacking molecules and cell membranes.
The antioxidants that stand out in the açaí berry are anthocyanins and flavonoids. These first ones are responsible for the purple, red and purple color of açaí and other fruits such as blueberries and blackberries. They are considered especially useful in the prevention and fight against cancer. In this 2018 meta-analysis , the effectiveness of açaí was proven in numerous studies with rodents, not only in preventing cancer, but also in preventing proliferation and helping in chemotherapy treatment.
2. PROMOTES GUT HEALTH
The açaí fruit is very rich in fiber, which improves the health of your microbiota and intestine by acting as a prebiotic, keeps blood sugar levels stable and is an ally against constipation.
3. REGULATE CHOLESTEROL
Anthocyanins reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, but the açaí berry also has plant sterols that prevent cholesterol absorption and also polyunsaturated fatty acids .
Plant sterols in freeze-dried açaí powder. Source: Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry
In this uncontrolled study , it was found in 10 subjects that by taking 200 grams of açaí pulp daily, the level of cholesterol in the blood, the level of glucose, and insulin on an empty stomach were reduced.
4. STRENGTHEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
The antioxidants in açaí help the different parts of the immune system. Also, its ellagic acid content fights bacteria and viruses and, being rich in fiber , helps cleanse the colon, leaving the immune system more freedom for other tasks. Its content of electrolytes, trace elements and vitamins also help in this reinforcement.
5. IT HAS DIURETIC ACTION
Its high potassium content in relation to sodium allows you to eliminate excess fluids.
6. PREVENTS COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
In one study , açaí pulp decreased inflammation of brain cells and in another in vitro study, it was observed that açaí is capable of promoting autophagy and improving brain health.
7. IT HAS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT
A study in the journal "Agricultural and Food Chemistry" suggests that the antioxidants in this Brazilian fruit prevent the activity of mast cells, an immune cell that produces histamine, which has a pro-inflammatory function .
Another laboratory study concludes that freeze-dried açai powder is capable of inhibiting the pro-inflammatory enzymes COX-1 and COX-2.
8. INCREASES SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Its nutritional characteristics already suggest that it is a highly recommended fruit for athletes, but in a 6-week study, it was proven that in junior athletes, the consumption of açaí juice improves the antioxidant capacity of the plasma and the serum lipid profile.
Furthermore , among the simple sugars it contains, glucose stands out, making it a good fruit to replenish muscle glycogen, since fructose only serves to replenish liver glycogen but not muscle glycogen.
Carlos Gracie
Carlos Gracie, the creator of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, was the one who popularized açaí. In front of his house in Copacabana there was a store that brought açaí from the Amazon. After what he learned about the fruit from the store owner, he recommended that the students at his school eat it every day.
The achievements of the students and their great physical condition began to be known and people wondered what that magic potion was that they took every day...
The surfers discovered that it was açaí and before long, all the juice bars on the beach were selling it...
9. HELPS CONTROL WEIGHT
The açaí fruit can help reduce weight since it contains a large amount of fiber and fatty acids that increase satiety.
These same components, by helping to keep blood sugar levels stable, prevent cravings.
10. MAINTAINS SKIN HEALTH
Antioxidants counteract the excess of free radicals that can be produced by being overexposed to the sun and, specifically , the malvidin and cyanidin present in the açaí pulp prevent age-related skin damage .
11. BOOST CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially omega 9) together with phenols, makes it an ideal fruit to fight against atherosclerosis by inhibiting cytokines .
12. HELPS PREVENT CANCER
Some of the benefits mentioned above and other new ones give it anti-cancer properties. Its antioxidants:
- They inhibit the growth of cancer cells (In 2007, the University of Pittsburgh discovered that the anthocyanins in blackberries are capable of killing cancer cells. And açaí is much richer in anthocyanins...)
- They increase the speed of the cell cycle (cancer cells die faster due to apoptosis)
- They reduce the speed with which capillaries that feed tumors are created (anti-angiogenesis)
- They limit the production of inflammatory compounds that can generate tumors
- Reduce DNA damage
CONTRAINDICATIONS OF AÇAÍ
Açaí fruit or powder is natural and safe . It has no known contraindications. In any case, and as we always recommend, if you are pregnant or if you are taking medications, you should always consult your doctor to avoid possible interactions. Although we believe that the problem would be more in the supplements and extracts that, in addition to açaí, contain other substances.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AÇAÍ
Outside the place where it is endemic (Brazil) it is almost impossible to get fresh açaí , so it is usually freeze-dried (the best option) or in juice.
Here we show you the nutritional information of the three possibilities.
Acai juice in the cultivation of our ORGANIC AÇAI
1. NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF THE AÇAÍ FRUIT
-Proteins : Açaí contains 19 amino acids, including all the essential ones! Yes, this fruit has complete protein.
-Carbohydrates: Most of the carbohydrates in açaí are in the form of fiber, not absorbable. Among sugars, it should be noted that it has twice as much glucose as fructose.
-Fats: They are the fundamental component of the berry. Among them, the most abundant is the oleic monounsaturated fatty acid, from the omega 9 series with more than 50%, followed by the saturated palmitic fatty acid with just over 24%. Third place is occupied by the linoleic fatty acid of the omega 6 series with 12.5%.
Palmitic acid is the most abundant in breast milk. Perhaps that is why children in the Eastern Amazon drink açaí juice from 6 months of age.
-Fiber: The açaí fruit is very rich in fiber, among which insoluble fiber stands out.
-Vitamins: This berry contains mainly vitamin A (retinol). It also contains a small amount of vitamin C.
-Minerals: Among the minerals, calcium and iron stand out.
-Phytonutrients: Açaí is rich in phytonutrients, which are substances that plants have, which are responsible for providing them with color, flavor, and protecting them from the sun, inclement weather, and other elements in their environment (mushrooms, animals, times of drought. . ). By eating them, they provide us with benefits to our health: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory action...
Its composition includes anthocyanins, tannins and polyphenolic compounds.
Keep in mind that the majority of the weight of the fruit corresponds to the seed
2. NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF AÇAÍ JUICE
Outside of Brazil, the natural juice of this fruit is not available. Here we show you the nutritional information of a commercial açaí juice. As you can see, it does not contain the precious fats, so if you are thinking of buying açaí in Spain or outside of Brazil, buying it in powdered, lypho-dried form, is still the best option.
Nutritional information of commercial açaí juice
3. NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF AÇAÍ LYOPHILIZED POWDER
Freeze-drying is a cold dehydration process, ideal if you want to buy quality açaí, since it preserves all its properties and characteristics.
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Maintains:
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It also allows food to be preserved for a long time at room temperature. Here we show you the nutritional information for freeze-dried açaí powder from Baïa Food Co .:
Nutritional composition of premium freeze-dried açaí from Baïa Food Co. grown organically in Brazil under fair trade conditions.
You can see that the freeze-dried açai powder maintains all the amino acids, anthocyanins and flavonoids found in the fresh fruit.
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As you can see, freeze-dried açaí powder maintains all the fatty acids of the original fruit. The most abundant fats are monounsaturated with 60.6% , within which the most abundant acid is oleic with 56.2%. In second place are saturated fats with 26.1% , among which the most abundant is palmitic acid with 24.1%. We have already said that this is the most abundant fatty acid in breast milk. Finally , third place goes to polyunsaturated fats with 13.3% , highlighting linoleic acid from the omega 6 series with 12.5%. |
WHERE TO BUY AÇAÍ
You have already seen all the properties and benefits of this Brazilian fruit. It is fashionable and everyone wants to know where to buy açaí.
It is a delicate fruit and cannot be transported and sold fresh outside of Brazil.
The best option is to buy it in powder form, dehydrated through a freeze-drying process. Now, not all açaí that are sold freeze-dried have the same quality.
To save costs, many companies mix it with other dehydrated fruits such as lime, giving it an acidic flavor and making it lose its characteristic fatty texture.
At Baïa Food Co. we only sell açaí of the best quality , with an ecological seal, originating in Brazil and grown under fair trade conditions.
1. WHERE TO BUY AÇAÍ IN SPAIN
If you live in Spain and are looking for where to buy quality açaí, you can place the order through our website and it will arrive in 24-48 hours at your home.
You can immediately enjoy great recipes and take advantage of all the benefits of this superfood.
A. AÇAÍ IN MADRID
If you live in Madrid you are in luck, in addition to the previous option you have where to buy açaí in person.
You can place your order with us (91 059 73 42) and come to our offices from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
RECIPES WITH AÇAÍ: THE AÇAÍ BOWL
You can buy açaí to use in any preparation with fruit, smoothie or shake, but the most popular recipe to take this superfood is undoubtedly the açaí bowl .
1. WHAT IS THE AÇAÍ BOWL
The açaí bowl recipe consists of mixing açaí powder with vegetable milk, milk, or yogurt and adding fruits and some cereal grains and/or seeds to taste.
This is an ideal recipe for breakfast, snack or dessert.
Here we show you one of our favorite açaí bowls:
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In this recipe you can play a little with the texture, if you don't want it cold you can add the fruit without freezing, however if you want more frozen you can do without the coconut milk. |
Ingredients: - 2 ripe frozen bananas - 1/4 cup coconut milk - 2 tablespoons açai powder - 1 handful of blueberries Put all the ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until you get a not very firm ice cream texture. Toppings: Mango, fresh blueberry, flaked coconut and buckwheat. |
2. OTHER RECIPES WITH AÇAÍ
The açaí berry is very versatile and allows you to make many other recipes. We are going to show you one of the ones we like the most.
- Acai popsicles
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Ingredients: |
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Ingredients: -10 gr of açaí |
If you want any other açaí recipe you can visit our page and our Instagram .
THE AÇAÍ WAITS FOR YOU
We have tried to tell you everything about this Brazilian fruit. If you have read the post, you are already almost an expert in this superfood and you know where to buy quality açaí.
We would love for you to tell us your favorite recipes and if you have any questions or want to provide more information about açaí... WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN THE COMMENTS!
