Acerola cherry, natural vitamin C with effect enhancing plant substances

Acerola and Vitamin C

Acerola cherry... natural vitamin C with effect enhancing plant substances

Acerola cherry (malpighia glabra), also known as "Cherry of the Antilles", comes from Central America and is grown today mainly in Brazil. The 2 to 3 metre high shrub, which needs an annual average temperature of at least 26 °C in order to thrive optimally, can produce up to 30kg of fruit per year. The orange-yellow to dark red fruits are the size of cherries and slightly sour in taste and resemble lemons.

Effect

The wonderful versatility of natural vitamin C

  • Our acerola powder contains at least 17% vitamin C and a wide range of secondary plant substances. These flavonoids are among the most important mediators that ensure that vitamin C is optimally absorbed by the body.
  • The contribution to antioxidant cell protection is one of the most important properties of a natural vitamin C; this makes acerola an anti-ageing product.
  • Unlike almost all animals, humans cannot produce vitamin C themselves, so they depend on a good and regular supply of natural vitamin C.
  • Acerola cherries are one of the highest providers of vitamin C, on average 100g ripe Acerola fruits contain 17.000 mg Vitamin C, 100 g oranges on the other hand only 50 mg vitamin C.
  • Our Acerola powder is also ideal for all those who are allergic to citrus fruits.

Frequently asked questions about acerola and vitamin C

Industrial vitamin C and natural vitamin C of the acerola cherry

AMAZONAS acerola powder is obtained from fresh acerola fruits, which contain other plant substances in addition to vitamin C. Even if these are only detectable in low concentrations, they support the effect of vitamin C and cause a more effective synergistic effect.

Acerola and Camu-Camu fruit powder with natural vitamin C

Due to the strong increase in the need for vitamin C since the Corona outbreak, there has been a real boom in vitamin products. It can be observed that more and more suppliers offer acerola or camu camu fruit powders as purely natural, although they are enriched with synthetic vitamin C.

This is often due to ignorance or concealment, which is difficult for the consumer to recognise.

Our organic acerola and organic camu-camu products contain only natural vitamin C from the fruit itself, i.e. no synthetic vitamin C added.

Vitamin C and ascorbic acid

Vitamin C and ascorbic acid are 100% identical. Both are L-ascorbic acid. The name ascorbic acid is derived from the term "anti-scorut acid". The well-known seafarer's disease "scurvy" occurred in sailors who did not take vitamin C for a long time, i.e. suffered from a vitamin C deficiency. The term "ascorbine" means "without scurvy".

Natural Vitamin C and the acerola cherry

The difference between industrial vitamin C and natural vitamin C

The decisive difference between vitamin C produced by nature and those produced synthetically by industry: Vitamin C from natural sources is not the only molecule absorbed by the body. In addition to vitamin C, acerola fruits contain bioflavonoids, secondary plant compounds that have an antioxidant effect. Acerola powder contains a balanced interaction of different plant substances, the basic plant substance and secondary plant substances.

IMPORTANT: Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for our organism. Our body cannot produce vitamin C itself and is therefore dependent on a good and regular supply of vitamin C.

Acerola harvest

Can you overdose on vitamin C? What amount of vitamin C is sensible, is recommended?

The term vitamin is derived from the Latin term "Vita" and means "life". In terms of bio-absorption, a distinction is made between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, must be taken regularly, if possible daily, as their molecules cannot be stored in the long term. According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), the daily requirement of vitamin C for young people aged 15 years and over and adults is between 90 and 110 mg. Even with an increased vitamin C requirement, such as in stress situations, heavy physical work, for smokers (they need approx. 40% more vitamin C), no negative long-term consequences or side effects are apparent. However, people with kidney dysfunction or a higher risk of urinary stones should not overdose on vitamin C.

Acerola cherries

Vitamin C for our skin

Our body needs vitamin C to form collagen. This protein is located in the connective and supporting tissue and is therefore important for the skin, bones, teeth and gums. In the case of wounds, scars and burns, for example, it ensures that the skin heals more quickly by keeping it more elastic thanks to vitamin C.

Why use Acerola powder for baking?

A small addition of acerola powder with 17 % natural vitamin C accelerates the maturing process and improves the shelf life of the flour. As little as 0.1 % acerola powder is sufficient in relation to the quantity of flour.

The powder also has a positive effect on the kneading and stability of the dough, which becomes more elastic and easier to shape.

When the dough is finally allowed to "rise", it can better trap the carbon dioxide produced during yeast fermentation, making the final product more airy and shapely.

It is remarkable that the positive effect on the dough is actually noticed by such a small amount of acerola powder and that the vitamin C also has a health aspect. Although vitamin C is broken down by heating, a small amount is still retained in the baked end product.

What is the difference between spray-dried and freeze-dried fruit powders?

In freeze-drying, the gentlest method for producing fruit powders, no carrier such as maltodextrin is needed, unlike spray-drying. The powder is 100 % pure.

Freeze-drying takes place at low temperatures of -12°C to a maximum of -25°C degrees until the moisture is < 5 %. No heat is used, as in other manufacturing processes.

What exactly is behind the term "high-dose" acerola fruit powder?

A "normal" acerola powder contains 17 % vitamin C. If the churches are processed into a fruit powder with 30 % natural vitamin C using a highly complex production method, "freeze-drying", this powder deserves to be called "highly dosed". Only 1 g of acerola powder contains 300 mg of pure vitamin C, in contrast to 170 mg of vitamin C in spray-dried acerola powder.

What special feature does freeze-dried acerola powder have in contrast to fresh fruit?

Fresh acerola fruit has a high water content and does not have a long shelf life. Freeze-dried vitamin C powder is made from fruit from which the water is removed during freeze-drying, giving it an increased concentration of nutrients and a 2-year shelf life.

For Your Information

Regulation (EC) Nr. 1924/2006 of the European Parliament significantly limits the nutritional and health related information about the nutritional and psychological effect of food supplements and foodstuffs. The German authorities are much more stringent on this than is the case in many other European countries.

Origin

We obtain our Acerola from the Amazon region of Ceará in Brazil.

Important information about our natural products from Asia

More and more products from Asia and India are being offered on the European Markets as so called high quality organic. Sadly however, what the documents and analyses states does not always conform to the values determined by the laboratories which also carry counter-analyses. There have already been product recalls due to excessive levels of heavy metals or pesticides. In another case, the alleged organic goods had to be re-declared as conventional due to excessive pollution.

This applies to us

Demanding customers must be able to rely on compliance with quality standards. Quality comes at a price.

Our promise

  • Careful analysis by European laboratories
  • Comprehensible documentation
  • Special analyses (such as nutritional values, vitamins, etc)
  • Close cooperation with suppliers
  • Continuous process optimisation in the production chain (e.g. improved drying, ventilation system etc.)
  • Sustainability
  • Fairtrade guidelines
  • Individual customer care

We look forward to a good and trusting cooperation, your AMAZONAS Team.