Açaí palm

{{Distinguish|Akai}} {{short description|Palm tree with many uses, mainly fruit as cash crop}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{speciesbox | name = Açaí palm | image = Euterpe oleracea salu.jpg | image_caption = Açaí palms on the Rio Negro in Brazil | genus = Euterpe | species = oleracea | authority = Mart. | synonyms_ref = <ref name="kew">{{cite web|url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=83095|title=Synonyms for Euterpe oleracea Mart., Hist. Nat. Palm. 2: 29 (1824)|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK|date=2017}}</ref> | synonyms = *''Euterpe brasiliana'' Oken *''Catis martiana'' O.F.Cook *''Euterpe badiocarpa'' Barb.Rodr. *''Euterpe beardii'' L.H.Bailey *''Euterpe cuatrecasana'' Dugand }}

The '''açaí palm''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|s|aɪ|.|iː}} {{respell|ə|SY|ee}}, {{IPA|pt-BR|asaˈi|lang|açaí.ogg}}; from Nheengatu {{lang|yrl|asai}}),<ref>{{OED|acai}}</ref> ''Euterpe oleracea'', is a species of palm tree (Arecaceae) cultivated for its fruit (açaí berries, or simply açaí), hearts of palm (a vegetable), leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in the 21st century, and the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.

The species is native to eastern Amazonia, especially in Brazil, mainly in swamps and floodplains. Açaí palms are tall, slender trees growing to more than {{convert|25|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, with pinnate leaves up to {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=fao>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/3/i2360e/i2360e04.pdf|title=Palm trees|website=The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518125026/http://www.fao.org/3/i2360e/i2360e04.pdf|archive-date=18 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The fruit is small, round, and black-purple in color. The fruit became a staple food in floodplain areas around the 18th century,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HL6APaFYWH0C&q=acai+staple+food&pg=PA339|title=Working Forests in the Neotropics: Conservation Through Sustainable Management?|last1=Zarin|first1=Daniel|last2=Alavalapati|first2=Janaki R. R.|last3=Schmink|first3=Marianne|last4=Putz|first4=Frances E.|date=2004|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231129077|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Brondízio |first1=Eduardo S. |last2=Safar |first2=Carolina A.M. |last3=Siqueira |first3=Andréa D. |date=2002-03-01 |title=The urban market of Açaí fruit (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) and rural land use change: Ethnographic insights into the role of price and land tenure constraining agricultural choices in the Amazon estuary |journal=Urban Ecosystems |language=en |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=71 |doi=10.1023/A:1025966613562 |bibcode=2002UrbEc...6...67B |issn=1573-1642 |s2cid=25276291}}</ref> but its consumption in urban areas and promotion as a health food only began in the mid-1990s along with the popularization of other Amazonian fruits outside the region.<ref name=":0" />

== Name == 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.<ref>{{Cite news| url= http://www.ibtimes.com/acai-what-it-where-does-it-come-183593|title=Acai – What is it and Where Does it Come From?|date=2009-09-10|work= International Business Times |access-date=2018-06-20}}</ref>

Its specific epithet ''oleracea'' means "vegetable" in Latin and is a form of {{wikt-lang|la|holeraceus}} ({{lang|la|oleraceus}}).<ref>{{cite book|last=Parker|first=Peter|title=A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-tzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT328|date= 2018|publisher=Little Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0615-2|page=328| quote= {{lang|la|oleraceus, holeraceus}} = relating to vegetables or kitchen garden}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Whitney|first=William Dwight|title=The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGTWRtstsaEC&pg=PA2856|year=1899|publisher=Century Co.|page=2856|quote={{abbr|L.|Latin}} {{lang|la|holeraceus}}, {{abbr|prop.|properly}} {{lang|la|oleraceus}}, herb-like, {{lang|la|holus}}, {{abbr|prop.|properly}} {{lang|la|olus}} ({{lang|la|oler-}}), herbs, vegetables}}</ref>

==Fruit== thumb|Fruit of the açaí palm The fruit, commonly known as açaí or açaí berry,<ref name="Marcason 2009">{{Cite journal |last1=Marcason |first1=W. |title=What is the Açaí Berry and Are There Health Benefits? |doi=10.1016/j.jada.2009.09.017 |journal=Journal of the American Dietetic Association |volume=109 |issue=11 |page=1968 |year=2009 |pmid=19857637 }}</ref> is a small, round, black-purple drupe about {{convert|25|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} 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 {{convert|1|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp, which contains a single large seed about {{convert|7–10|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} 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.<ref name="biology">{{cite web | title=Validate User | website=Validate User | url=https://academic.oup.com/crawlprevention/governor?content=%2fbotlinnean%2farticle%2f208%2f1%2f1%2f7756446 | access-date=2026-04-29}}</ref>

==Cultivation== There are two harvests: one is normally between January and June, while the other is between August and December, producing larger volumes.<ref name="Plaza">{{cite web|title=Worldwide demand for açaí is growing|url=http://www.freshplaza.com/article/166322/Worldwide-demand-for-a%C3%A7a%C3%AD-is-growing|publisher=Fresh Plaza|access-date=1 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731185750/http://www.freshplaza.com/article/166322/Worldwide-demand-for-a%C3%A7a%C3%AD-is-growing|archive-date=31 July 2017}}</ref> In 2022, the state of Pará, which accounts for 90% of Brazil's total açaí economy, produced {{convert|8,158|t|lb}} of açaí berries, generating US$26 million in revenue.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news |author1=Vargas Jones J |title=Children in Brazil are climbing 70-foot-high trees so you can eat açaí berries |url=https://www.cnn.com/world/americas/acai-berries-child-labor-brazil-spc/index.html |access-date=13 March 2024 |work=CNN |date=13 March 2024}}</ref> The 2022 production was 209 times greater than the volume produced in 2012.<ref name=cnn/>

===Child labor concern=== Children as young as 13 years old are employed as laborers to harvest the fruit, using machetes to clear paths in the rainforest, and climbing trees up to {{convert|70|ft}} tall without harnesses to collect berries in the canopy, a process leading to falls and severe injuries in some children.<ref name=cnn/>

=== Cultivars === Few named cultivars exist, and varieties differ mostly in the nature of the fruit:

*''Branco'' ("White") is a rare variety local to the Amazon estuary in which the berries do not change color, but remain green when ripe. This is believed to be due to a recessive gene since only about 30% of 'Branco' palm seeds mature to express this trait.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://environment.yale.edu/tri/uploads/Ashley-DuVal.pdf |title=Açaí Branco: Maintaining Agrobiodiversity through a Local Seed System in the Amazon Estuary |last=DuVal |first=A |journal=Tropical Bulletin: Yale University Tropical Resources Institute |volume=29 |year=2010 }}</ref> *''BRS-Pará'' was developed in 2004 by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency. The pulp yield ranges from 15% to 25%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-solucoes-tecnologicas/-/produto-servico/925/cultivar-de-acaizeiro-brs-para|title=Cultivar de açaizeiro BRS Pará – Portal Embrapa|website=www.embrapa.br|access-date=2018-12-20}}</ref> *''BRS Pai d'Égua'' is the newest cultivar developed by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency.<ref>[https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-solucoes-tecnologicas/-/produto-servico/4707/brs-pai-degua---cultivar-de-acaizeiro-irrigado-de-terra-firme-?link-inicial Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency]</ref>

==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%).<ref name="schauss2006a">{{cite journal|last1=Schauss|first1=AG|last2=Wu|first2=X|last3=Prior|first3=RL|last4=Ou|first4=B|last5=Patel|first5=D|last6=Huang|first6=D|last7=Kababick|first7=JP|year=2006|title=Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried amazonian palmberry, ''Euterpe oleraceae'' Mart. (acai)|journal=J Agric Food Chem|volume=54|issue=22|pages=8598–603|doi=10.1021/jf060976g|pmid=17061839|bibcode=2006JAFC...54.8598S |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6733922}}</ref> The powder was also shown to contain (per 100 g) negligible vitamin C, 260 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, and 1002 IU vitamin A.<ref name=schauss2006a/>

== Anthocyanins == Anthocyanins define the blue pigmentation of açaí and the antioxidant capacity of the plant's natural defense mechanisms<ref>{{cite web |author=Simon PW |year=1996 |title=Plant Pigments for Color and Nutrition |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/madison-wi/vegetable-crops-research/docs/simon-pubs-97hort0012/ |publisher=Vegetable Crops Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI}}</ref> and in laboratory experiments in vitro.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=De Rosso VV, Morán Vieyra FE, Mercadante AZ, Borsarelli CD |date=October 2008 |title=Singlet oxygen quenching by anthocyanin's flavylium cations |journal=Free Radical Research |volume=42 |issue=10 |pages=885–91 |doi=10.1080/10715760802506349 |pmid=18985487 |s2cid=21174667 |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/54522}}</ref> Anthocyanins in açaí accounted for only about 10% of the overall antioxidant capacity in vitro.<ref name="lichtenthaler">{{cite journal |vauthors=Lichtenthäler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JG, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricius H, Marx F |date=Feb 2005 |title=Total oxidant scavenging capacities of ''Euterpe oleracea'' Mart. (Açaí) fruits |journal=Int J Food Sci Nutr |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=53–64 |doi=10.1080/09637480500082082 |pmid=16019315 |s2cid=10683560}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Lotito SB, Frei B |year=2006 |title=Consumption of flavonoid-rich foods and increased plasma antioxidant capacity in humans: cause, consequence, or epiphenomenon? |journal=Free Radic. Biol. Med. |volume=41 |issue=12 |pages=1727–46 |doi=10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2006.04.033 |pmid=17157175}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Williams RJ, Spencer JP, Rice-Evans C |date=April 2004 |title=Flavonoids: antioxidants or signalling molecules? |journal=Free Radical Biology & Medicine |volume=36 |issue=7 |pages=838–49 |doi=10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2004.01.001 |pmid=15019969}}</ref><ref>[https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1489 Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to various food(s)/food constituent(s) and protection of cells from premature aging, antioxidant activity, antioxidant content and antioxidant properties, and protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/20061] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107214818/https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1489|date=7 November 2021}}, EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA)2, 3 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy, EFSA Journal 2010; 8(2):1489</ref> 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.<ref name="lpi">{{cite web |date=2015 |title=Flavonoids |url=http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/flavonoids |access-date=8 June 2015 |publisher=Linus Pauling Institute, Micronutrient Information Center, Oregon State University}}</ref><ref name="ajcn">{{cite journal |last1=Manach |first1=C |last2=Williamson |first2=G |last3=Morand |first3=C |last4=Scalbert |first4=A |last5=Rémésy |first5=C |year=2005 |title=Bioavailability and bioefficacy of polyphenols in humans. I. Review of 97 bioavailability studies |journal=American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |volume=81 |issue=1 Suppl |pages=230S–242S |doi=10.1093/ajcn/81.1.230S |pmid=15640486 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

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).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gallori |first1=S. |year=2004 |title=Polyphenolic Constituents of Fruit Pulp of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Acai palm) |journal=Chromatographia |volume=59 |issue=11–12 |doi=10.1365/s10337-004-0305-x |s2cid=94388806|doi-access=free }}</ref> 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).<ref name="schauss2006a" />

==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.<ref name="NY2011" />

=== Scams === In the early 2000s, numerous companies advertised açaí products online, with many ads featuring counterfeit testimonials and products.<ref name="NY2011" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Pressing Açaí foraçaí Answers|last=Ellin|first=Abbey|date=12 March 2009|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="james" /> In 2009, açaí scams were ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's "scams and rip-offs" list, so that by 2011 sales of açaí flattened as the fad waned.<ref name="NY2011" />

According to the Washington, D.C.–based Center for Science in the Public Interest thousands of consumers had trouble stopping recurrent charges on their credit cards when they canceled free trials of some açai-based products.<ref name="adotas1">{{cite web|url=http://www.adotas.com/2009/08/oprah-is-coming-after-bad-internet-marketers/|title=Oprah is coming after bad Internet Marketers|publisher=Adotas|access-date=10 September 2009|archive-date=1 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701235036/http://www.adotas.com/2009/08/oprah-is-coming-after-bad-internet-marketers/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_082609WAB-acai-berry-offer-warning-TP.1261bd61e.html|title=AG warns about deceptive weight loss supplement offer|publisher=King5 News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831102735/http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_082609WAB-acai-berry-offer-warning-TP.1261bd61e.html|archive-date=31 August 2009|access-date=9 September 2009}}</ref> 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.{{Which|date=July 2023}}<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Colapinto|first=John|title=Strange Fruit|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/30/strange-fruit-john-colapinto|access-date=2021-05-14|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-US}}</ref>

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.<ref name="CR_010912">{{cite news|url=https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2012/01/marketers-of-acai-products-fined-1-5-million-for-false-claims-and-unfair-billing/index.htm|title=Marketers of acai products fined $1.5 million for false claims and unfair billing|date=9 January 2012|access-date=2 November 2017|publisher=Consumer Reports}}</ref><ref name="FTC_010912">{{cite news|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2012/01/internet-marketers-acai-berry-weight-loss-pills-colon-cleansers|title=Internet Marketers of Acai Berry Weight-Loss Pills and "Colon Cleansers" to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Advertising and Unfair Billing|date=9 January 2012|access-date=2 November 2017|agency=Federal Trade Commission}}</ref>

==Production== [[File:Banca de açai na rua Belem.jpg|thumb|left|Street vendor of açaí, next to Ver-o-Peso 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://g1.globo.com/pa/para/noticia/2019/03/15/caminhos-do-acai-para-produz-95-da-producao-do-brasil-fruto-movimenta-us-15-bi-e-sao-paulo-e-o-principal-destino-no-pais.ghtml|title=Caminhos do açaí: Pará produz 95% da produção do Brasil, fruto movimenta US$ 1,5 bi e São Paulo é o principal destino no país |author=Jorge Sauma |author2=Caio Maia |date=15 March 2019|access-date=13 March 2022|website=Globo |language=pt}}</ref>

=== Chagas disease === Several studies have implicated açaí fruit in the transmission of Chagas disease.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Andrade |first1=Rodrigo de Oliveira |title=Açaí fruit can transmit Chagas disease |url=https://www.scidev.net/global/news/a-a-fruit-can-transmit-chagas-disease/ |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=SciDev.Net |publisher=SciDev.Net |date=11 January 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref name="NY2011">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/30/strange-fruit-john-colapinto|title=Strange Fruit|last1=Colapinto|first1=John|author-link= John Colapinto|date=30 May 2011|magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref><ref name="Santana">{{cite journal|title=Açaí pulp demand in the retail market of Belem, state of Para|last1=de Santana|first1=A.C.|journal=Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura|year=2017 |volume=39 |doi=10.1590/0100-29452017102 |doi-access=free}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Plaza" /> In Brazil, it is commonly eaten as ''{{lang|pt|açaí na tigela}}''.

In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Brazilian Amazon, açaí palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up a major component of their diet, up to 42% of the total food intake by weight.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Murrieta RS, Dufour DL, Siqueira AD|year=1999|title=Food consumption and subsistence in three Caboclo populations on Marajo Island, Amazonia, Brazil|journal=Human Ecology|volume=27|issue=3|pages=455–75|doi=10.1023/A:1018779624490|bibcode=1999HumEc..27..455M |s2cid=150562421}}</ref>

thumb|Açaí bowl

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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aislyn Greene |date=2015-06-20 |title=The Surprising History of the Açaí Bowl |url=https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-surprising-history-of-the-acai-bowl |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=AFAR Media |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kugel |first=Seth |date=2010-02-24 |title=Açaí, a Global Super Fruit, Is Dinner in the Amazon |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/24acai.html |access-date=2023-07-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Dietary supplement === {{See also|Enforcement actions against açaí berry supplement manufacturers}} As of 2008, no açaí products have been evaluated by the FDA, and their efficacy is doubtful.<ref name="james">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=6434350&page=1|title='Superfood' açaí may not be worth price: Oprah's Dr. Oz says açai is healthy but no cure-all; Dieter feels ripped off|last=James|first=SD|date=2008-12-12|access-date=2008-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219035235/https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/Story?id=6434350&page=1|archive-date=19 December 2008|url-status=live|work=ABC News}}</ref>

As of 2009, there is no scientific evidence that açaí consumption affects body weight, promotes weight loss or has any positive health effect.<ref name="CSPI">{{cite web|url=http://www.cspinet.org/new/200903231_print.html|title=CSPI Warns Consumers about Web-Based Açai Scams|author=Center for Science in the Public Interest|date=2009-03-23|publisher=CSPI|access-date=2012-09-02|author-link=Center for Science in the Public Interest}}</ref>

=== Açaí oil === {{See also|Açaí oil}} thumb|upright|Açai oil

Açaí oil is suitable for cooking or as a salad dressing, but is mainly used in cosmetics as shampoos, soaps or skin moisturizers.<ref name="Pacheco-Palencia" />

The oil compartments in açaí fruit contain polyphenols such as procyanidin oligomers and vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid, which were shown to degrade substantially during storage or exposure to heat.<ref name="Pacheco-Palencia">{{cite journal |vauthors=Pacheco-Palencia LA, Mertens-Talcott S, Talcott ST |title=Chemical composition, antioxidant properties, and thermal stability of a phytochemical enriched oil from Açaí (''Euterpe oleracea'' Mart.) |journal=J Agric Food Chem |volume=56 |issue=12 |pages=4631–6 |date=Jun 2008 |pmid=18522407 |doi=10.1021/jf800161u |bibcode=2008JAFC...56.4631P }}</ref> Although these compounds are under study for potential health effects, there remains no substantial evidence that açaí polyphenols have any effect in humans.<ref name="schauss2006a" /><ref name="Pacheco-Palencia" /> Açaí oil is green in color, has a bland aroma, and is high in oleic and palmitic fatty acids.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Arch Latinoam Nutr |year=2007 |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages= 94–8 |title= Characterization of the acai or manaca (''Euterpe oleracea'' Mart.): a fruit of the Amazon |language=es |last1= Neida |first1=S |last2= Elba |first2= S. |pmid= 17824205 }}</ref>

===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.<ref name="Silva">Silva, S. & Tassara, H. (2005). Fruit Brazil Fruit. São Paulo, Brazil, Empresa das Artes</ref> Tree trunks may be processed to yield dietary minerals.<ref>Dyer, A. P. 1996. Latent energy in ''Euterpe oleracea''. Biomass Energy Environ., Proc. Bioenergy Conf. 9th.</ref>

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.<ref name="Silva" /><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Plotkin MJ, Balick MJ |title=Medicinal uses of South American palms |journal=J Ethnopharmacol |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=157–79 |date=Apr 1984 |pmid=6727398 |doi=10.1016/0378-8741(84)90001-1 }}</ref> Seeds may become waste in landfills or used as fuel for producing bricks.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|last1=Cheeseman|first1=G-M.|title=How sustainability is embedded in Sambazon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainability-sambazon-embedded-certification-acai|access-date=1 May 2017|website=The Guardian|date=December 2010 }}</ref>

===Research=== Orally administered açaí has been tested as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the gastrointestinal system.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Córdova-Fraga T, de Araujo DB, Sanchez TA |title=''Euterpe olerácea'' (Açaí) as an alternative oral contrast agent in MRI of the gastrointestinal system: preliminary results |journal=Magn Reson Imaging |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=389–93 |date=Apr 2004 |pmid=15062934 |doi=10.1016/j.mri.2004.01.018 |display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sanchez |first1=Tiago Arruda |last2=Elias |first2=Jorge |last3=Colnago |first3=Luiz Alberto |last4=de Almeida Troncon |first4=Luiz Ernesto |last5=de Oliveira |first5=Ricardo Brandt |last6=Baffa |first6=Oswaldo |last7=de Araujo |first7=Dráulio Barros |date=September 2009 |title=Clinical Feasibility of Açai (Euterpe olerácea) Pulp as an Oral Contrast Agent for Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography |url=http://journals.lww.com/00004728-200909000-00003 |journal=Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography |language=en |volume=33 |issue=5 |pages=666–671 |doi=10.1097/RCT.0b013e31819012a0 |pmid=19820489 |issn=0363-8715|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Its anthocyanins have also been characterized for stability as a natural food coloring agent.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Del Pozo-Insfran D, Brenes CH, Talcott ST |title=Phytochemical composition and pigment stability of Açaí (''Euterpe oleracea'' Mart.) |journal=J Agric Food Chem |volume=52 |issue=6 |pages=1539–45 |date=Mar 2004 |pmid=15030208 |doi=10.1021/jf035189n |bibcode=2004JAFC...52.1539D }}</ref>

== Gallery == <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 </gallery>

== See also == *''Euterpe edulis'' *''Euterpe precatoria'' *Feira do Açaí

== References == {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book |vauthors=Craft P, Riffle RL |title=An encyclopedia of cultivated palms |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, Oregon, United States |year=2003 |isbn=0-88192-558-6 }} * {{cite web|url=https://www.newworlder.com/article/9537/how-acai-acai-has-helped-save-amazonian-forests|title=How Açaí Helped Save Amazonian Forests|publisher=NewWorlder|author=Nicholas Gill}}

==External links==  *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060117224338/http://nature.org/success/art15110.html Pictures of açaí palms trees and fruit] from an article by The Nature Conservancy. *[https://theworld.org/stories/2010-10-10/acai-super-fruit-not-so-great "Acai 'super-fruit' not so great"]. ''The World'', Public Radio International

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acai palm}} Category:Euterpe (plant) Category:Trees of South America Category:Trees of Trinidad and Tobago Category:Plants described in 1824 Category:Açaí Category:Edible palms Category:Crops originating from Brazil Category:Drupes Category:Fruits originating in South America