Acerola is not only a concentrated source of vitamin C, but due to its content of a whole spectrum of valuable nutritional substances, it is considered a superfood. Acerola has been traditionally used to treat coughs, colds, diarrhea or liver diseases.
Article at a glanc:
- Acerola - a real superfood
- Acerola as a dietary supplement
- Trime acerola = real food in a capsule
- Meaningful use of exotic foods
- Competitive sources of acerola vs our acerola
- Nutritional value and quality of acerola
- Uses of acerola
- Vitamin C and its function in the human body
Acerola - a real superfood
Acerola (Malpighia emarginata), also known as the 'Barbados cherry', is a plant that is mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions. This plant grows up to 6 meters high and is cultivated for its cherry-like fruit. The acerola fruit is one of the richest sources of vitamin C. Acerola contains up to 100 times more of vitamin C than oranges or lemons.
In addition to vitamin C, acerola also contains provitamin A, B vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc and iron.
Acerola is also a source of a number of beneficial phytonutrients, including carotenoids, phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins. These biologically active substances, naturally found in plants, support our health and help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Acerola as a dietary supplement
Thanks to its very high vitamin C content, acerola has been also used as a dietary supplement. Vitamin C from acerola is absorbed better by the human body than synthetic ascorbic acid. This is mainly due to the presence of phytonutrients that affect the bioavailability of vitamin C. Supplements from acerola represent an alternative option to increase the intake of this essential vitamin.
Trime acerola = real food in a capsule
Our acerola is 100% pure, freeze-dried, organic acerola cherry powder that is preserved in a vegetable capsule without any additives.
Although it is sold as a dietary supplement, it is actually more a real food with the full nutritional potential. The higher quality category can only be obtained from freshly picked fruit. Fresh cherries are perishable and therefore preservation is the only way to use this superfood in our geographical conditions.
Among various preservation options, such as juicing, freezing or drying, freeze-drying is the most gentle way of preserving food and its nutritional quality.
Our Acerola is therefore closer to a food than a supplement. You can easily flavor yogurt, smoothies or other meals with it. Capsules have the advantage that the powder will not precipitate and acerola retains its nutritional value.
Trime acerola is not just vitamin C, but an exotic superfood processed with the most gentle technology possible. That is why we can enjoy the full spectrum of acerola benefits even in our latitudes.
Meaningful use of exotic foods
At Trime, we are interested not only in the quality and nutritional potential of our products, but we also care about the environmental impact. Acerola is an exotic superfood, yet its use in our geographical conditions makes sense even from the point of view of sustainability.
In the areas of acerola natural occurrence there are suitable soil conditions and climate for the growth of this plant. Acerola production does not burden the environment and is sustainable in terms of water consumption and carbon footprint. Acerola grown in accordance with the principles of organic farming is even more environmentally friendly, as there is no contamination of soil, water or the surrounding environment with pesticides. Each acerola bush produces 20-30 kg of fruit per year, and farmers thus process a crop that is already available and would otherwise remain unused. We also care about an ethical approach, which is why we cooperate with the acerola processor who follows fair trade philosophy.
Competitive sources of acerola vs our acerola
There is a large number of acerola supplements on the market and they differ in quality as well as in additives they contain. Various processing techniques are used in the production of these supplements, which have an impact on the final quality of the product.
For cheaper sources of acerola, the fruit is usually pressed and concentrated into juice, which is then spray-dried on a carrier (usually glucose polymers such as maltodextrin). This extract then represents a source of vitamin C, which is standardized to a certain percentage of l-ascorbic acid. Heat drying is a technique used in the production of acerola powders. But its disadvantage is that it reduces the amount of vitamin C and other nutrients.
Lyophilization, the most gentle way of preserving food, preserves not only valuable nutrients, but also the original color, aroma and taste. If you are looking for an acerola product that has the highest added value in terms of nutritional parameters and at the same time maintains the original taste profile, you can bet on our acerola. It represents vitamin C in a completely natural form designed by mother nature.
At Trime, we don't want to produce "ordinary" food supplements, but we try to push the boundaries further and bring on the market category of “real food supplements”. Acerola is the first of this group of supplements.
Nutritional value and quality of acerola
The nutritional value of acerola fruits varies depending on several factors, e.g. on the region where the acerola comes from, the method of cultivation, the stage of maturity at harvest time or the actual processing and subsequent storage of acerola fruit. In general, the content of vitamin C in acerola ranges from 1000 - 4500 mg / 100 g.
Because our demands on the quality are really high, we always choose suppliers who meet our strict requirements. In the case of acerola, it took us more than a year to find a suitable supplier. But this long search has paid off and now we can be proud of a premium acerola in organic quality, which achieves great nutritional values and at the same time has a unique taste. Our acerola is not an ordinary, industrially produced, gray unified powder, but a powder with a nice structure and a fresh color, which smells nice and tastes good.
Uses of acerola
Acerola is valued for its antioxidant abilities as a strong fighter against various diseases that are associated with oxidative stress. It is assumed that the high antioxidant capacity of acerola is not only due to the content of ascorbic acid, but mainly to the synergistic action of the phytonutrients contained.
Vitamin C and its function in the human body
In conclusion, let's recall the functions vitamin C has in the human body and why it plays an important role in maintaining our health.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that performs a number of functions in the body. It supports healthy functioning of the immune system and is needed for the production of collagen. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and protects us from oxidative stress, reduces fatigue and exhaustion, and last but not least, increases the absorption of nonheme iron. Unlike most animals or plants, the human body cannot synthesize vitamin C by itself. We are therefore dependent on its regular intake from the diet.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for an adult is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
You can read more information about vitamin C in our blog articles (Health benefits of vitamin C, Tips to get enough vitamin C).
