Acerola - more than just vitamin C
Articles
Acerola (Malpighia emarginata), also known as Barbados cherry, is a tropical fruit with one of the highest natural vitamin C contents of any food. 100 g of the fruit typically contains around 1,000 to 4,500 mg of vitamin C, depending on origin, variety, ripeness and processing. Besides vitamin C, acerola also contains other valuable nutrients such as polyphenols, carotenoids and anthocyanins. Acerola is therefore rightly considered a superfood, and in traditional folk medicine it was used for coughs, colds, diarrhoea and liver complaints, for example.
What you will learn in this article:
- What acerola is and why it is called a superfood
- Acerola and vitamin C: why it is so exceptional
- Benefits of acerola
- Acerola as a dietary supplement
- Trime acerola = real food in a capsule
- Acerola and sustainability
- Nutritional value and vitamin C content
- Who acerola is for
What acerola is and why it is called a superfood
Acerola is a dense evergreen shrub that can grow up to 6 metres tall. The plant is found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions and is cultivated for its cherry-like fruit. It is the fruit of acerola that is one of the richest sources of vitamin C, and it is said to contain up to 100 times more of this vitamin than oranges or lemons.
In addition to vitamin C, acerola contains provitamin A, some B vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc and iron. Acerola is also a source of many beneficial phytonutrients, including carotenoids, phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins, which work synergistically. Acerola is therefore not just a source of a single isolated substance, but a fruit with a natural combination of nutrients. These biologically active substances support our health and help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Acerola and vitamin C: why it is so exceptional
Vitamin C is a water-soluble substance that the human body (unlike most animals and plants) cannot produce on its own. We therefore have to get it from food or supplements. Acerola is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C in the world, which is why it has also come to be used as a dietary supplement.
Many people choose acerola as a natural source of vitamin C because of the other phytonutrients it contains, which enhance its nutritional potential. Acerola supplements thus offer an alternative way to increase your intake of this essential vitamin.
Benefits of acerola
The benefits of acerola stem mainly from its high vitamin C content which, according to approved EU health claims:
- contributes to the normal function of the immune system,
- contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, blood vessels, bones, cartilage, teeth and gums,
- contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue,
- contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress,
- increases iron absorption,
- contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. Smokers and people under increased strain, for example, may need more.
Acerola as a dietary supplement
You will find a large number of acerola supplements on the market, and they vary in quality and in the additives they contain. These supplements are made using different processing techniques, which affect the quality of the final product.
Heat-dried acerola and acerola extracts
With cheaper sources of acerola, the fruit is usually pressed and concentrated into juice, which is then spray-dried onto a carrier (usually glucose polymers such as maltodextrin). This extract is then a source of vitamin C standardised to a certain percentage of L-ascorbic acid. Heat drying is the technique used to produce acerola powders. Its drawback, however, is that it reduces the amount of vitamin C and other nutrients.
Freeze-dried (lyophilised) acerola
Through lyophilisation, the gentlest way of preserving food, the fruit retains not only its valuable nutrients but also its original colour, aroma and taste. If you are looking for an acerola product with the highest added value in terms of nutrition that also keeps its original flavour profile, choose freeze-dried acerola. It offers vitamin C in a completely natural form, designed by Mother Nature herself.
At Trime, we don't want to make "ordinary" dietary supplements. We strive to push the boundaries further and bring supplements from the real food category to the market. Acerola is the first of this group of supplements.
Trime acerola = real food in a capsule
Our acerola is 100% pure, freeze-dried, organic acerola cherry powder, held in a plant-based capsule without any additives. Although it is sold as a dietary supplement, it is really more of a food with the full nutritional potential that nature offers. A higher quality category can only be obtained from freshly picked fruit. Fresh cherries spoil quickly, however, so preservation is the only way to enjoy this superfood in our part of the world. Of the available methods of preserving fruit, such as juicing, freezing or drying, lyophilisation (freeze-drying) is the gentlest way to preserve nutritional quality.
Our Acerola is therefore closer to a food than to a supplement. You can easily use it to flavour yoghurt, smoothies or other dishes. Capsules also have the advantage that the powder doesn't clump, so the acerola retains its nutritional value. Trime acerola is not just vitamin C, but an exotic superfood processed using the gentlest technology available, which lets us enjoy its benefits to the full even in our latitudes.
Acerola and sustainability
At Trime, we look not only at the quality and nutritional potential of our products; their environmental impact is also essential to us. Acerola is an exotic superfood, yet using it in our part of the world also makes sense from a sustainability perspective.
The areas where acerola grows naturally have suitable soil and climate conditions for this crop. Acerola production does not burden the environment and is sustainable in terms of water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Acerola grown according to the principles of organic farming is even kinder to the environment, as there is no contamination of soil, water or the surrounding area with pesticides. Each acerola shrub produces 20 to 30 kg of fruit a year, so farmers process a crop that is already available locally and would otherwise go unused. We also care about an ethical approach, which is why we work with an acerola processor that provides employment in line with fair trade philosophy.
Nutritional value and vitamin C content
The vitamin C content of acerola is not fixed. It ranges from roughly 1,000 to 4,500 mg per 100 g of fruit and depends on several factors:
- origin and variety,
- ripeness of the fruit at harvest,
- subsequent processing and storage.
Because our standards for the quality and effectiveness of raw materials are 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. That long search paid off, and we can now be proud of premium organic acerola that achieves excellent nutritional values and at the same time has a unique taste. Our acerola is not an ordinary, industrially produced, grey, uniform powder, but a powder with a pleasant texture and fresh colour that smells lovely and tastes good.
Who acerola is for
Acerola is suitable for anyone who wants to top up their vitamin C from a natural source. You will especially appreciate it during periods of increased strain on the immune system. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, and the human body does not store any excess. Regular intake of this vitamin is therefore essential for maintaining strong immunity, vitality and protecting cells from oxidative stress.
You can read more about vitamin C in our blog articles (Health Benefits of Vitamin C, Tips to get enough vitamin C).
Sources
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malp%C3%ADgie_lys%C3%A1
Prakash A, Baskaran R. Acerola, an untapped functional superfruit: a review on latest frontiers. J Food Sci Technol. 2018 Sep;55(9):3373-3384. doi: 10.1007/s13197-018-3309-5. Epub 2018 Jul 11. PMID: 30150795; PMCID: PMC6098779.
Mezadri T, Fernández-Pachón MS, Villaño D, García-Parrilla MC, Troncoso AM. El fruto de la acerola: composición, características productivas e importancia económica [The acerola fruit: composition, productive characteristics and economic importance]. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2006 Jun;56(2):101-9. Spanish. PMID: 17024954.
https://www.healabel.com/acerola-benefits/
