Processed Fruit Ingredients

Acerola grows as a tiny tree and has small, deep-red, cherry-like fruit. It is found primarily in and around the West Indies, but has a native range from South Texas through the Caribbean, Central America, Vietnam & Brazil. It's also called Barbados cherry, Puerto Rican cherry and West Indies cherry.

The fleshy red stone fruits, about the size of a small cherry, have a sweet flavor and contain very high amounts of vitamin C. It is eaten fresh, used to make jams and jellies, and is also an important commercial source of natural vitamin C. Acerola is often also cultivated as an ornamental shrub, particularly in the southeastern United States.

Nutritional Benefits of this Processed Fruit:

• One of the highest natural sources of Vitamin C
• Good source for vitamin A, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper

In the 1950s, a manufacturer of baby food decided that apple juice was milder for infants than orange juice. The company claimed that a drop of acerola juice in an 8 oz. can of apple juice provided the amount of vitamin C of an equal amount of orange juice. A detailed nutrition facts analysis shows the juice does contain 32 times the amount of vitamin C in orange juice (over 3000% as much), supporting the claim.

A comparative analysis of antioxidant potency among a variety of frozen juice pulps was carried out, and included the this fruit. Among the eleven fruits' pulps tested, acerola was the highest scoring domestic fruit, meaning it had the most anti-oxidant potency, with a TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity) score of 53.2 mmol g.

In Puerto Rico, the this fruit is so prized that custom officials exercise considerable precaution to prevent exporting of acerola cuttings.

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