Acai fruit powder production and producers

Acai Berry

The Acai berry was first discovered by the natives of the Amazon region and integrated into their diet. The high levels of polyphenols gave them the necessary strength to cope with life in the jungle.

Origin

Acai palms grow in abundance in the whole of the Amazon region right up to the coast of Brazil. There are three types, the "Amazonas Forest" being the most valuable with the highest nutritional values. Our Acai comes from producers from the state of Bahia and is harvested like Guarana and Acerola by the native families.

Harvest

Those who are most physical and the best climbers are responsible for the first part of the harvest. They skillfully climb the high palm, cut the Acai branches carefully and then carefully lower them to the ground. There the women pick the berries and collect them in their baskets.

Transport

Although there are copious quantities of Acai berries due to the fact that Acai palms grow in the wild, the typical jungle conditions make the harvest for our producers really hard and expensive. The natives use small boots in order to reach barely accessible areas and to transport the harvested berries quickly in natural fibre baskets to the next production site.

RWD method description: The fresh acai puree is applied to a foil conveyor. This is a type of belt that sits on circulating hot water and moves the acai puree over it, causing the moisture in the puree to evaporate within 5-10 minutes, without the use of a carrier or high temperatures. This results in a finished high quality, pure product with all its phyto-nutrients that does not lose its colour or flavour.

REFRACTANCE WINDOW^® DRYING (RWD)

• Gentle drying at a low temperature
• Nutrients and aroma remain unchanged
• The micro structure of the end product is even and free of pores. This contributes to a reduction of oxidation and formation of free radicals.

Studies have shown that products which have been dried Refractance Window Drying have a higher amount of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants in comparison to the usual methods such as spray or freeze drying. Mt. Capra is proud to be the very first company to be able to offer produce having been used with this advanced yet gentle technology. Refractance Window Drying^® Technology is the kindest method of drying fresh whole foods. It is a unique, self limiting dehydrating method with infra red light instead of using extremely high temperatures to remove the moisture from goods.

Building on the conductivity of water along with the properties of infrared and light refraction, this is the preferred method for preserving valuable nutrients and phytonutrients in foodstuffs.

During this process, important sensory qualities of the fruit, such as colour, aroma, taste and nutritional value are retained.. This is an indicator that the active flavours and pigment compounds, which provide inestimable properties in terms of sensory and nutritional physiology are retained during the drying process.