Acai Properties: The Magic Within

The acai berry also contains high amounts of essential fatty acids needed for virtually every function in our body. The synergistic relationship between antioxidants and EFA's is a crucial one and the fact that the acai contains both is remarkable. Essential fatty acids assist in the creation of prostaglandins which play a vital role in hormone regulation, are important for healthy skin and your well being. One thing you'll notice from drinking or eating acai is the sustained energy boost. EFA's play a role in that too because the good fats in the acai berry regulate your blood sugar level giving you a prolonged and complete energy source.

If you can think of a function, essential fatty acids probably have a role in it.

Protein:
Acai contains approximately 5.7-18.2g of protein per 100g of dried acai powder. The large range is probably due to certain palms able to make more nitrogen compounds under similar growing conditions. Acai has a similar protein structure to that of an egg incorporating a wide variety of amino acids.

Carbohydrate:
Acai is relatively low in sugar which is what makes the fruit perish so easily. Glucose accounts for 1.5-6.7% of the juice.

Fat:
Fats account for more than 50% of the dry weight of the fruit in the form of polyunsaturated linoleic acid (omega 6 fatty acids) and monounsaturated oleic acid. Fats and fatty acids are necessary to virtually every organ in the body.

Linolenic acid (omega 3 fatty acids) complete the omegas. While the acai fruit doesn't contain this fatty acid, it can be found in a complete acai solution.

Aside from the three main groups, other acai properties are listed below.

Fiber:
25% of the acai's dry weight is attributed to fiber. It is the second largest group of compounds present after lipids. The recommended dosage of fiber for an adult is 25 grams for a woman and 38 grams for a man consuming 2,000 calories per day.

Antioxidants:
Anthocyanins - This is the main form of antioxidant found in the acai berry. They comprise of cyanidin-3-glucoide (C-3-G) and cyanidin-3-rutinoside. Another 16 antioxidants in the form of polyphenols (which is a supergroup of anthocyanins) have also been found. About 1% of the dry weight is from these powerful antioxidants.

Vitamin E - 100g of acai juice contains about 7mg of vitamin E and the pulp can contain as much as six times the amount. Vitamin E plays an important role in conjunction with anthocyanins because it converts them back to their active form.

Trace minerals:
iron - 1.5-3.5mg of iron is present per 3.5 ounces (100g) of juice
potassium - 990mg per 100g of juice
sodium - 76mg per 100g of juice
calcium - 133-286mg per 100g of juice
magnesium - 178mg per 100g of juice
phosphorus - 147mg per 100g of juice
copper - 1.4mg per 100g of juice
manganese - 32.3mg per 100g of juice
zinc - 1.73mg per 100g of juice
boron - 1.58mg per 100g of juice

Eventhough the acai berry is relatively small in size compared to other fruits and vegetables, the acai properties contained within are tremendous for your health. There is no other fruit on the market that incorporates an abundant regulated energy store, proteins with amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, trace minerals, and a whole bunch of antioxidants. Click the Acai Health Benefits link for more information on how this berry can benefit your health and wellness.