Although it became popular in the USA only recently, açaí [ah-sigh-ee] has been the staple source of vitamins and nutrients for the native Amazonian people for centuries. Its distinctive name is derived from Iaça [ah-ya-sah], the legendary daughter of an Indian Chief, whose discovery of açaí saved her tribe from extinction.
Açaí is a high energy berry that comes from a tall, thin Amazonian palm, the Acaizeiro. The Acaizeiro grows wild in the Amazon Rainforest and produces about 6-8 clusters of berries, with each cluster holding more than 5 lbs of açaí palmberries. When ripe, the açaí berry is dark purple. "Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature's perfect energy fruit. It is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. Studies have shown that açaí is one of the healthiest and most powerful foods in the world."*
Nutritious and delicious, açaí tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate. Once you try it, you'll want it every day, not just for its health benefits, but for the taste.
*Source: Perricone, Nicholas, M.D. The Perricone Promise, Warner Books, 2004
It's no wonder açaí is touted by doctors, health experts, fitness gurus, and now celebrities as a great source of vitamins and nutrients. "Studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world!"*
Both Oprah and Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a best-selling author and one of the country's top dermatologists, declare açaí as #1 of the "Top Ten Superfoods" for staying young and healthy. Dr. Perricone specifically recommends açaí pulp (the principal ingredient in our AçaiTwist) vs. ready-to-drink sweetened beverages, as it contains:
- "A remarkable concentration of antioxidants that help combat premature aging, with 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 - 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine.
- A synergy of monounsaturated (healthy) fats [Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9], dietary fiber, and phytosterols, to help promote cardiovascular system and digestive tract health.
- An almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to muscles."* To top it off, açaí is also a great source of calcium, vitamin E and iron. Sports Illustrated for Women calls it "the best fruit you've never heard of," and Vogue declares açaí smoothies to be "the next big workout cocktail."
With all its healthful properties, açaí can improve cardiovascular health, promote a healthy digestive system, reduce cholesterol, increase brain function, decrease the risk of cancer, and diminish the signs of aging.
*Source: Perricone, Nicholas, M.D. The Perricone Promise, Warner Books, 2004
Guaraná [gwa-ra-na] is derived from the seeds of a fruit grown on a shrub that is native to Venezuela and Northern Brazil. It has been used for centuries by South American Indians in the preparation of foods, drinks and medicine. Today, guaraná is widely recognized as an effective cardiovascular drug, a pain-reliever, astringent and tonic used to treat diarrhea, hypertension, fever, migraine and dysentery. It is also reputed to naturally increase mental alertness, fight fatigue and increase stamina and physical endurance.
The main ingredient of guaraná is guaranine, a substance that is named after the Guarani Indians of the Amazon, who wild-harvest the seeds and process them into paste by hand. Guaraná has the same characteristics as caffeine. Thus, in addition to the benefits listed above, guaraná can also be used as an effective appetite suppressant if you are trying to lose weight.
Each 250g packet of AçaíTwist contains guaranine in an amount equivalent to just 3.75mg of caffeine, which is less than a cup of decaffeinated coffee (5-6mg) and far less than a cup of regular coffee (65-130mg). Refresh yourself - naturally.
Smoothie Recipes:
For best results, thaw the package of AçaíTwist at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until soft. Return any unused AçaíTwist or smoothie to the freezer for later use.
Açaí Split Twist
½ Banana
½ cup Orange Juice
2 oz Strawberries
½ cup Ice or Yogurt
Blend until smooth
Açaí Vanilla Twist
250g AçaíTwist
2 oz Strawberries or Other Fruit
½ cup Milk
Blend until smooth
Açaí Berry Twist
250g AçaíTwist
½ Banana
½ cup Apple juice
2 oz Strawberry, Blueberry and Raspberry
½ cup Milk or Ice.
Blend until smooth
Nutritious Breakfast or Any-Time Treats:
For best results, thaw the package of AçaíTwist by letting it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until soft. Return unused AçaíTwist or treat to the freezer for later use.
Açaí Crunch
250g Amazon Mania AçaíTwist
1 Banana (sliced)
4 tbsp Granola
Blend Amazon Mania AçaíTwist until smooth (about 30 seconds) and pour into a bowl. Sprinkle with granola and place the sliced banana (and strawberries) on top.
Açaí Granola Twist
250g Amazon Mania AçaíTwist
1 Banana
1 tsp Honey
1 Container of Yogurt
4 tbsp Granola
Blend Amazon Mania AçaíTwist, banana, yogurt and honey until smooth. Pour into bowl over granola and serve.
Cocktail Recipes:
For best results, thaw the package of AçaíTwist by letting it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until soft. Return unused AçaíTwist or cocktail to the freezer for later use.
Açaí Margarita
2 oz Amazon Mania AçaíTwist (thawed until liquid)
2 oz Premium Tequila (e.g., Quervo 1800)
1 oz Quantro
¼ oz Lime (crushed)
Serve on the rocks in Margarita glass or Double Old Fashioned (DOF) glass with or without salt
AçaíMosa
3 oz Amazon Mania AçaíTwist (thawed until liquid)
3 oz Proseco
Garnish with orange twist and serve in champagne glass
AçaíTini
2 oz Amazon Mania AçaíTwist (thawed until liquid)
1½ oz Raspberry Vodka
¾ oz Crème de Cocoa
¾ oz Chambord
Serve in martini glass
Amazonfrutas buys its açaí from five pre-approved co-ops, which consist of groups of local farmers who harvest and sell açaí to various domestic and international açaí producers. These co-ops were selected to work with Amazonfrutas because of their strict adherence to governmental regulations that pertain to the collection of açaí in the Rainforest.
Governmental regulations stipulate that açaí must be picked from the tops of the palms and strictly prohibits the gathering of açaí fruit from the ground, because açaí on the forest floor is more likely to be rotted and/or contaminated with animal/insect feces, which could result in serious illness when ingested by humans. Spotting oxidized or rotting açaí is fairly easy, as it changes in color from dark purple to brown and has a very distinct and unpleasant sour taste.
To gather the fruit, farmers scale a palm and proceed to cut the branches bearing açaí fruit. They jump from palm to palm, harvesting these branches, which fall to the ground after they are cut. Farmers, such as those who sell to Amazonfrutas, are instructed to spread a large piece of plastic on the forest floor between the trees they climb so that the falling açaí does not touch the ground. The açaí berries are then stripped off the branches and into baskets and sorted. Farmers dispose of any poor quality fruit and carry the baskets full of quality fruit to boats that transport them to a port where the açaí is picked up by truck and brought to the Amazonfrutas production facility. All boats and trucks that transport açaí are required to have a covered compartment to keep the fruit from direct contact with the sun, because such contact can speed up oxidization and rotting.
Açaí must be processed and frozen within 24 hours of harvest, otherwise it begins to ferment. The faster açaí gets from harvest to freezing, the more nutrients and taste it will retain. Amazonfrutas receives its açaí within 6-8 hours of harvest. It takes another 4-6 hours to process and freeze the fruit, which means that the total time Amazonfrutas requires from harvest to freezing is just 10-12 hours. This quick production ensures that Amazon Mania's açaí is the freshest possible.
When açaí arrives at the Amazonfrutas facility, it follows a standardized process developed to maximize health and safety and minimize production time, which ensures the highest quality açaí possible. This process is mandated and highly regulated by the Brazilian government. Health inspectors visit production facilities quarterly to ensure strict adherence to governmental guidelines and regulations. All açaí producers are required to adhere to this process without exception.
- General Quality Assessment:
The first step is to visually assess the quality of the fruit. The Facility Production Manager, who is responsible for ensuring that Amazonfrutas strictly adheres to its standardized production and quality control processes, randomly sorts through the arriving fruit, testing the color, shape and taste of the berry to ensure quality. Substandard berries are rejected and never make it inside the Amazonfrutas facility.
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Cleaning and Sanitizing Process:
Once the fruit passes the initial inspection, it is poured into a machine that uses a fan to separate the açaí from any extraneous particles. Then the process of washing and sanitizing the fruit commences. Workers wearing gloves, hats and masks use plastic baskets to manually transfer the açaí to a series of four tanks.
(a). In the first tank, the fruit is immersed in cold water for 15 minutes to remove any surface dirt.
(b). It is then transferred to the second tank, which contains hot water, with temperatures measuring between 40°C/104°F and 60°C/140°F. The açaí soaks in the hot water tank from 10-60 minutes in order to soften the fruit and facilitate the ease with which the flesh will be removed from the seed.
(c). The third tank contains 20-50ppm of chlorine in the form of a sodium hypochlorite solution. The fruitremains in this solution between 20-40 minutes. Studies show that this process cuts levels of bacteria, hepatitis A virus and other viruses that indicate possible contamination by animal or human wastes by 90-99%. The Brazilian government requires this step of all companies that process fruit in order to disinfect and kill bacteria.
(d). The final step requires the açaí to be rinsed with potable water to remove all traces of chlorine.
- De-seeding and Blending:
Once the açaí is washed, workers wearing plastic gloves, hats and masks transfer the fruit to a machine that removes the seed. At this point, the process becomes automated, and the açaí is not touched again by human hand until it is eaten. Deseeded açaí pulp travels down a conveyor belt to a second machine, where it is crushed and combined with purified water. This mixture is then poured into a steel tank where it is blended to consistency - if AçaíRaw™ is being produced, the mixture is ready for packaging; if AçaíTwist™ is being produced, it is at this point that additional ingredients are added.
- Packaging and Freezing:
AçaíTwist™ and AçaíRaw™ are automatically pumped from the steel blending tank to the packaging machine, where the products are loaded into sterilized plastic sleeves. Sealed products are laid flat on a tray and quick-frozen to -30°C/-22°F, which minimizes oxidation and thereby stops bacteria action completely. It kills many pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria that are adapted to living at human body temperatures by forming water ice crystals within the bacteria and rupturing membranes. Other bacteria, which are not destroyed by low temperatures, are inhibited from growing and multiplying.
Once upon a time, in an area of Brazil now known as Belem, a local Indian tribe was devastated by famine. While the food diminished, the tribe continued to grow. To save his people, the Indian Chief decreed that going forward any children born would be killed, as there was not enough food to feed them. Soon thereafter, the Chief's daughter, Iaça, gave birth to a beautiful girl. Unfortunately, not even his granddaughter could escape the Chief's somber decree.
Iaça cried for months, grieving the loss of her beautiful daughter. One night, as she walked in mourning under a full moon, Iaça heard the cry of a child. She hurried towards the sound and came upon a tall, slender palm tree. At the top of the tree, Iaça could see clusters of dark fruit and at the bottom of the tree, she saw her daughter waiting for her with open arms. Iaça ran toward the vision, but as she reached out to embrace her child, she was overcome with joy and died happily beneath the tree.
The next day, the Chief found his daughter under the tree. She had a smile across her face and she was looking up to the sky. He followed her gaze up the tree and saw the dark, purple fruit. The Chief immediately ordered these fruits to be harvested by his people, who soon discovered that a juice could be extracted from the berries that would satisfy the hunger of the whole tribe. The Chief's decree was lifted, and out of gratitude to Iaça, from that day on, the fruit of the palm tree that saved the tribe was known as Açaí (Iaça backwards).
