Açaí palm

The folk etymology says that chief Itaqui ordered all newborns put to death owing to a period of famine. When his own daughter gave birth and the child was sacrificed, she cried and died beneath a newly sprouted tree. The tree fed the tribe and was called açaí because that was the daughter's name (Iaçá) spelled backwards. Its specific epithet oleracea means "vegetable" in Latin and is a form of (). ==Fruit==

The fruit, commonly known as açaí or açaí berry, is a small, round, black-purple drupe about in circumference, similar in appearance to a grape, but smaller and with less pulp and produced in branched panicles of 500 to 900 fruits. The exocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of açaí and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp, which contains a single large seed about in diameter. The seed makes up about 60–80% of the fruit. The palm bears fruit year round but the berry cannot be harvested during the rainy season. The açaí palm is a light-loving plant, and fruit yields greatly decrease in amount and quality if the plants are shaded. ==Cultivation==

There are two harvests: one is normally between January and June, while the other is between August and December, producing larger volumes. In 2022, the state of Pará, which accounts for 90% of Brazil's total açaí economy, produced of açaí berries, generating US$26 million in revenue. The 2022 production was 209 times greater than the volume produced in 2012. • BRS-Pará was developed in 2004 by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency. The pulp yield ranges from 15% to 25%. • ''BRS Pai d'Égua'' is the newest cultivar developed by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency. ==Nutritional content==

A powdered preparation of freeze-dried açaí fruit pulp and skin was reported to contain (per 100 g of dry powder) 534 calories, 52 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, and 33 g total fat. The carbohydrate portion included 44 g of dietary fiber with low sugar levels, and the fat portion consisted of oleic acid (56% of total fats), palmitic acid (24%), and linoleic acid (13%). The powder was also shown to contain (per 100 g) negligible vitamin C, 260 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, and 1002 IU vitamin A. == Anthocyanins ==

Anthocyanins define the blue pigmentation of açaí and the antioxidant capacity of the plant's natural defense mechanisms and in laboratory experiments in vitro. Anthocyanins in açaí accounted for only about 10% of the overall antioxidant capacity in vitro. The Linus Pauling Institute and European Food Safety Authority state that "the relative contribution of dietary flavonoids to (...) antioxidant function in vivo is likely to be very small or negligible". Unlike in controlled test tube conditions, anthocyanins have been shown to be poorly conserved (less than 5%) in vivo, and most of what is absorbed exists as chemically modified metabolites destined for rapid excretion. A powdered preparation of freeze-dried açaí fruit pulp and skin was shown to contain cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside as major anthocyanins (3.19 mg/g). The powdered preparation was also reported to contain twelve flavonoid-like compounds, including homoorientin, orientin, taxifolin deoxyhexose, isovitexin, scoparin, as well as proanthocyanidins (12.89 mg/g), and low levels of resveratrol (1.1 μg/g). ==Marketing==

In the 1980s, the Brazilian Gracie family marketed açaí as an energy drink or as crushed fruit served with granola and bananas; this demand led to the building of cottage industries and processing plants to pulp and freeze açaí for export. In 2003, American celebrity doctor Nicholas Perricone included açaí berries among "superfoods", but such extravagant marketing claims regarding açaí as miracle cures for everything from obesity to attention-deficit disorder were challenged in subsequent studies. The FTC handed down an $80 million judgement in January 2012 against five companies that were marketing açaí berry supplements with fraudulent claims that their products promoted weight loss and prevented colon cancer. One company, Central Coast Nutraceuticals, was ordered to pay a $1.5 million settlement. ==Production==

market in Belém Brazil is a major producer, particularly in the state of Pará, which alone in 2019 produced more than 1.2 million tons of açaí, an amount equal to 95% of Brazil's total. Chagas disease Several studies have implicated açaí fruit in the transmission of Chagas disease. This is a risk when unpasteurized uncleaned fruits are consumed, and has been found in the regions where the fruit is harvested. ==Uses==

As a food product Fresh açaí has been consumed as a dietary staple in the region around the Amazon river delta for centuries. The fruit is processed into pulp for supply to food product manufacturers or retailers, sold as frozen pulp, juice, or an ingredient in various products from beverages, including grain alcohol, smoothies, foods, cosmetics and supplements. Açaí na tigela (known in English as açaí bowl) is a Brazilian dessert made from frozen açaí berry purée, served in a bowl and topped with other fruit and granola. Dietary supplement As of 2008, no açaí products have been evaluated by the FDA, and their efficacy is doubtful. As of 2009, there is no scientific evidence that açaí consumption affects body weight, promotes weight loss or has any positive health effect. Açaí oil Açaí oil is suitable for cooking or as a salad dressing, but is mainly used in cosmetics as shampoos, soaps or skin moisturizers. Although these compounds are under study for potential health effects, there remains no substantial evidence that açaí polyphenols have any effect in humans. Other uses Leaves of the palm may be made into hats, mats, baskets, brooms and roof thatch for homes, and trunk wood, resistant to pests, for building construction. Tree trunks may be processed to yield dietary minerals. Comprising 80% of the fruit mass, açaí seeds may be ground for livestock food or as a component of organic soil for plants. Planted seeds are used for new palm tree stock, which, under the right growing conditions, can require months to form seedlings. Seeds may become waste in landfills or used as fuel for producing bricks. Research Orally administered açaí has been tested as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the gastrointestinal system. Its anthocyanins have also been characterized for stability as a natural food coloring agent. == Gallery ==

File:Acapalms.jpg|A grove of açaí palms in Brazil File:Despolpando açai.jpg|Separation of açaí pulp from seeds in market Belém, Pará, Brazil File:Cosecha de Naidí.jpg|An açaí harvest File:Sansei açaí! açaí ame.JPG|Japanese açaí candy == See also ==