Strange Fruit

In a Natural Products Insider article, Paul M. Gross, Ph.D.—senior author of “Wolfberry: Natures Bounty of Nutrition and Health” and publisher of The Berry Doctor’s Journal—notes the following about the sweet little Amazonian treasures:

“Long used among Brazilian Amazon peasants as a staple mixed with tapioca or sugar, açaí gained popularity in the United States first as a juice ‘energy’ drink and additive to smoothies. Now, its pulp powder is being applied in a variety of other consumer products and has great potential for expansion into numerous food and beverage products.”

He notes that freeze-dried açaí pulp powder contains 9% protein, 33% carbohydrates, 12% dietary fiber and 50% fats (38% mono- and polyunsaturated), as well as several antioxidant compounds: anthocyanins, procyanidins, protocatechuic acid, epicatechin, gallic acid and vitamin C. “At an ORAC of 34,000 µmol TE per 100 grams in freeze-dried pulp powder,” he notes, “it appears to be among the most antioxidant-rich edible plants.”

Gross goes on to note that although clinical studies highlighting açaí’s potential are scarce, reports have shown it might inhibit leukemia cell development in vitro, and its “rich phenolic content indicates potential benefits for all diseases that are purportedly also affected by blueberries and black raspberries, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic inflammation, cognitive disorders, aging and age-related visual decline and bacterial infections, among others.”

As long as açaí remains an economically sustainable, viable crop for the Amazon, the little antioxidant bombs should continue to grow in popularity.

Funky Five-Flavor Berries

Until the FDA officially takes offense to the legion of energy drink “herbal supplement” or “dietary supplement” products making wild claims, we will continue to see all sorts of craziness afoot.

A while back, a press release on a beverage—with the company’s head going by the title of “love doctor”—claiming to help increase desire and heighten the senses trailed its musky scent across my virtual desk.

The real gist of the bit was the drink’s inclusion of another “strange fruit.”

The beverage contains schisandra (sometimes misspelled “shizandra,” known as wu wei zi in China), a berry from the Schisandra chinensis plant common to China. The fruit has reputed medicinal properties (considered one of the “50 fundamental herbs” in traditional Chinese medicine) and is generally classified as an adaptogen (apparently for its protective effects on the liver). In addition to its reported health benefits, the so-called “five-flavor berry” is also said to deliver five distinct tastes: salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy) and bitter (although I don’t think I would classify pungent as a taste, more of a sensation—and if we let pungent in the taste door, astringency, coolness and tingling might sneak in, as well—but this concept is not without precedent, as Indian Arusuvai tradition taps spicy as a basic taste).

Regardless, one berry that can deliver such simultaneous sensations is mighty cool—and could prove quite a hot item in some markets.

Fanning the Fruitaceutical Flames

When it comes to the next big health-food trend, nothing sets fire to product sales quite like a touch of the exotic. One need only consider the state of a notoriously irritating fruit like pomegranate—from a handling perspective—five years ago and today. Through better processing technology and research on the benefits of antioxidants and other healthful compounds in the fruits of nature’s bounty, an increasing array of ingredients is currently filtering into our processing pipeline.

Now, hip, tropical fruits like noni, goji, açaí and mangosteen are seeing increasing play in select product-development circles (and gaining more attention in the media). Call them superfoods, superfruits, nutrafruits or fruitaceuticals... Whatever the moniker, they’re hot, and despite the advances with some fruits—including the aforementioned pomegranate, as well as all things grape, to mention two—ingredient manufacturers are just beginning to scratch the surface of their potential.