Content uploaded by Alexander G Schauss
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Alexander G Schauss on Jul 09, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
Phytochemical and Nutrient Composition of the Freeze-Dried
Amazonian Palm Berry,
Euterpe oleraceae
Mart. (Acai)
ALEXANDER G. SCHAUSS,*,† XIANLI WU,‡,§ RONALD L. PRIOR,‡BOXIN OU,⊥
DINESH PATEL,|DEJIAN HUANG,3AND JAMES P. KABABICK#
Natural and Medicinal Products Research, AIMBR Life Sciences, 4117 South Meridian,
Puyallup, Washington 98373, Agriculture Research Service, Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1120 Marshall Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202, Department of
Physiology and Biophysics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham,
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, Brunswick Laboratories, 6 Thatcher Lane,
Wareham, Massachusetts 02571, Integrated Biomolecule Corporation, 2005 E. Innovation Park Drive,
Tucson, Arizona 85755, Food Science and Technology Program, Department of Chemistry,
National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore, and Flora Research,
32158 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, California 92675
Euterpe oleraceae
is a large palm tree indigenous to the Amazon River and its tributaries and estuaries
in South America. Its fruit, known as acai, is of great economic value to native people. In this study,
a standardized freeze-dried acai fruit pulp/skin powder was used for all analyses and tests. Among
many findings, anthocyanins (ACNs), proanthocyanidins (PACs), and other flavonoids were found to
be the major phytochemicals. Two ACNs, cyandin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside were found
to be predominant ACNs; three others were also found as minor ACNs. The total content of ACNs
was measured as 3.1919 mg/g dry weight (DW). Polymers were found to be the major PACs. The
concentration of total PACs was calculated as 12.89 mg/g DW. Other flavonoids, namely, homoorientin,
orientin, isovitexin, scoparin, and taxifolin deoxyhexose, along with several unknown flavonoids, were
also detected. Resveratrol was found but at a very low concentration. In addition, components including
fatty acids, amino acids, sterols, minerals, and other nutrients were analyzed and quantified. Total
polyunsaturated fatty acid, total monounsaturated fatty acid, and total saturated fatty acids contributed
to 11.1%, 60.2%, and 28.7% of total fatty acid. Oleic acid (53.9%) and palmitic acid (26.7%) were
found to be the two dominant fatty acids. Nineteen amino acids were found; the total amino acid
content was determined to be 7.59% of total weight. The total sterols accounted for 0.048% by weight
of powder. The three sterols B-sitosterol, campesterol, and sigmasterol were identified. A complete
nutrient analysis is also presented. Microbiological analysis was also performed.
KEYWORDS:
Euterpe oleraceae
; acai; anthocyanin; proanthocyanidin; flavonoid; resveratrol; nutrient;
sterol; fatty acid; amino acid; microbiological test; shelf life
INTRODUCTION
Euterpe oleraceae Martius is a large palm tree indigenous to
South America. It grows abundantly in the Amazon estuary and
on floodplains, in swamps, and in upland regions. Also known
as the Cabbage palm, Euterpe oleraceae bears a dark purple,
berry-like fruit, clustered into bunches, that serves as a major
food source for native and lower class people of Brazil,
Colombia, and Suriname (1). A juice prepared from the fruit,
popularly called “acai” in Brazil, is consumed in a variety of
beverages and food preparations. In addition to its economic
value, different parts of Euterpe oleraceae were used as folk
medicine by native people. For example, the fruit furnishes a
dark green oil used in rural medicine, principally as an
antidiarrheal agent (2). Recently, much attention has been paid
to the antioxidant capacity of its fruit (also called acai) and its
possible role as a “functional food” or food ingredient (3-5).
However, the knowledge of its phytochemical and nutrient
composition is still very limited, which put its health claims
and possible role as a “functional food” in question.
Some anthocyanins (ACNs) and several other flavonoids have
been reported in acai (6-9). Regarded as predominant phy-
tochemicals in acai, ACNs were believed to be the major
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: alex@aibmr.com.
Phone: 253-286-2888. Fax: 253-286-2451.
†AIMBR Life Sciences.
‡U.S. Department of Agriculture.
§University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
⊥Brunswick Laboratories.
|Integrated Biomolecule Corporation.
3National University of Singapore.
#Flora Research.
8598
J. Agric. Food Chem.
2006,
54,
8598
−
8603
10.1021/jf060976g CCC: $33.50 © 2006 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 10/07/2006
compounds that contributed to the overall antioxidant capacity
(9). But the contribution of the anthocyanins to the overall
antioxidant capacities of the fruit were estimated to be only
approximately 10%, which suggested that compounds that have
yet to be identified are the major antioxidants in acai (3). Except
for dietary antioxidants, other components and nutrient com-
position are also very important when we try to evaluate the
possible role of acai as a “functional food”. However, our
knowledge of these is still not complete. In this paper, another
major objective was to provide information about other com-
ponents, as well as report on a more complete profile of its
nutrient composition than reported by others to date.
Last, microbiological and heavy metal analyses were per-
formed in an attempt to provide additional information related
to safety issues of freeze-dried acai.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Plant Material. Freeze-dried acai (Euterpe oleracea) was obtained
from K2A LLC (OptiAcai, Provo, Utah). Prior to freeze drying, the
berries were obtained immediately within the harvesting areas in the
Amazon delta estuaries within kilometers of the freeze-drying facility
in Belem, Brazil. Within hours of harvesting, acai berries were frozen
and stored at -20 °C until transferred for freeze drying. The freeze-
dried acai powder was kept at -20 °C until analyzed.
Chemicals and Standards. Phytochemical Analysis. Standards of
3-O-β-glucosides of pelargonidin, cyanidin, peonidin, delphinidin,
petunidin, and malvidin (six mixed anthocyanin standard, HPLC grade)
were obtained from Polyphenols Laboratories (Sandnes, Norway).
Resveratrol standard was purchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO).
Formic acid was purchased from Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). Methanol,
acetonitrile, methylene chloride, and acetic acid (HPLC grade) were
from Fisher (Fair Lawn, NJ). Sephadex LH-20 is product of Sigma
(St. Louis, MO).
QuantitatiVe Analysis of Sterols. Sterol standards were purchased
from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). Hydrochloric acid, methanol, and other
reagents were obtained from Fisher (Fair Lawn, NJ).
Fatty Acids, Amino Acids, and Nutrient Analysis. Standards of fatty
acids were obtained from Nu-Check Prep (Elysian, MN). O-Phthalde-
hyde was from Anresco (San Francisco, CA); amino acid standard
solution (2.5 µmol/mL), Brij 35 solution (30%, w/w), 2-mercaptoethanol
(2-hydroxyethylmercaptan), L-norleucine, and ethylenediaminetetraace-
tic acid (EDTA) tetrasodium salt (dydrate) were from Sigma (St. Louis,
MO). Potassium hydroxide (pellets), sodium hydroxide (pellets),
hydrocholoric acid (6 N volumetric solution), and boric acid were from
Chempure (Bolivar, OH). Vitamins A, C, E, D, B1, B2, B3, B6, and
B12, glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, folic acid, pantothenic
acid, biotin, and inositol were from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO).
Elemental ion solutions were from Absolute Standards (Hamden, CT).
Microbiological Analysis. Lactose broth for aerobic organism
culturing was from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO); reinforced clostrid-
ial agar for anaerobic organism culturing and enumeration was from
EM Science (Gibbstown, NJ). Petrifilm enumeration plates were from
3M Microbiology Products (St. Paul, MN).
Analysis of Anthocyanin and Other Flavonoids. Sample prepara-
tion of anthocyanin and other flavonoid analysis followed the method
reported previously (10).
Chromatographic analyses were performed on an HP 1100 series
HPLC (Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA) equipped with an autosampler/
injector and diode array detector (DAD). A 4.6 mm ×250 mm, 5.0
µm, Zorbax Stablebond analytical SB-C18 column (Agilent Technolo-
gies, Rising Sun, MD) was used for separation. Elution was performed
with mobile phase A (5% formic acid aqueous solution) and mobile
phase B (methanol) using the gradient protocol previously decribed
(10). Low-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry was performed
with an Esquire 3000 ion trap mass spectrometer (MS) (Bruker
Daltoniks, Billerica, MA). The experimental conditions were the same
as previously described (10). Anthocyanin identification was determined
following previous research (11). Quantification of anthocyanin fol-
lowed the procedure reported before (10). For other flavonoid analysis,
the experimental conditions were kept the same except that the
ionization was changed from positive mode to negative mode.
Proanthocyanidin Analysis. Freeze-dried acai powder (5 g) was
extracted with solvent containing acetone, water, and acetic acid (70:
29.5:0.5, v/v, AWA). This solution was further fractioned by Sephadex
LH-20 for proanthocyanidin analysis following the published method
(12) for proanthocyanidin analysis.
Chromatographic analyses were performed on an HP 1100 series
HPLC (Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA) equipped with an autosampler/
injector, DAD, fluorescence detector (FLD), which was also coupled
with an LCQ ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with an API chamber,
and an ESI source. Normal phase separation of proanthocyanidins was
performed on a 3.0 mm ×150 mm, 5.0 µm, Luna Silica column
(Phenomenex, Torrance, CA). Elution was performed using mobile
phase A (dichloromethane/methanol/water/acetic acid; 82:14:2:2, v/v)
and mobile phase B (methanol/water/acetic acid; 96:2:2, v/v). The flow
rate was 0.8 mL/min, and detection was set using FLD with excitation
at 276 nm and emission at 316 nm. Gradient is described as follows:
0-17.6% B, 0-30 min; 17.6-30.7% B, 30-45 min; 30.7-87.8% B,
45-50 min. The proanthocyanidins were confirmed by their chromato-
graphic patterns and the molecular weights obtained by FLD and MS
detector, respectively.
Resveratrol Analysis. A freeze-dried acai sample (1 g) was extracted
with 20 mL of methanol. After the extract was centrifuged at 14 000
rpm at 4 °C for 5 min, the supernatant was used for resveratrol analysis.
The analysis was carried out in a HP 1100 HPLC equipped with diode
array detector and a Phenomenex Luna phenyl-hexyl column (250
mm ×4.6 mm) with prefilter. Elution was performed using mobile
phase A (water/acetonitrile/acetic acid; 89:9:2, v/v) and mobile phase
B (acetonitrile/water; 80:20, v/v). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and
detection was set up at 280 nm using the DAD. The gradient is
described as follows: 0% B, 0-10 min; 0-40% B, 10-25 min; 40-
100% B, 25-32 min; 100% B, 32-35 min.
Sterol Analysis. Quantitative analysis of sterols in acai freeze-dried
powder was carried out in a Varian 3400cx gas chromatograph with a
DB-5ms column (Varian, Palo Alto, CA) based on INA sterol method
109.001 (13).
Fatty Acids, Amino Acids, and Nutrient Analysis. Fat was
determined by the AOAC method (AOAC 933.05) (14). Fatty acids
were analyzed based on the AOAC method (AOAC 969.33) (14).
Analysis was carried out in an HP 5890 series 2 GC (Hewlett-Packard,
Palo Alto, CA) with a Supelco ST-2560 column (Supelco, Inc.,
Bellefonte, PA). Cholesterol was tested in a HP 5890 series 2 GC
(Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA) using an AOAC method (AOAC
994.10) (14).
Protein was determined based on an AOAC method (AOAC 991.20)
(14), and the measurement was conducted in a Kjeltc 2400 autosampler
unit (Rose Scientific Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, CA). Amino acids were
obtained by hydrolysis from protein by 6 N HCl and then analyzed by
ion-exchange chromatography. O-Phthaldehyde is used for postcolumn
derivation. Analysis was carried out in Waters Alliance 2690 HPLC
equipped with Waters fluoroscence detector 474 (Waters Corporation,
Milford, MA). A Hitachi L-7100 pump (Hitachi High Technologies
America, San Jose, CA) was used for postcolumn derivation. An
interaction AA511 cation-exchange column (Pierce Biotechnology,
Rockford, IL) with guard column was used to separate amino acids.
Elution was performed using mobile phase, and the detection was set
at excitation 358 nm and emission 425 nm.
Analysis of minerals was performed in a Perkin-Elmer ICP Optima
4300 DV ICP-OES system (Perkin-Elmer Life And Analytical Sciences
Inc., Wellesley, MA) according to the AOAC method (AOAC 984.27)
(14). Measurements of vitamin C (AOAC 967.22) (14), sugars (AOAC
980.13) (14), moisture (AOAC 926.08) (14), and ash (AOAC 945.46)
(14) were all based on AOAC methods. Heavy metal ion analysis was
performed by an Agilent HP-7500a ICP-MS (Agilent Technologies,
Palo Alto, CA) on a 5% HNO3digested solution of elemental species
(1000 mg/100 mL). Analysis of retinol was based on a published
method (15).
Microbiological and Heavy Metal Analysis. Employing aseptic
techniques, we placed samples of freeze-dried acai in a sterile glass
homogenizer tube with 5 mL of sterile water. Using a sterile
Phytochemical and Nutrient Composition of Acai
J. Agric. Food Chem.,
Vol. 54, No. 22, 2006 8599
homogenizer beater, we crushed the berries to a pulp. Aliquots (1 mL)
of the crushed berry pulp were placed into sterile lactose broth solutions
and sterile reinforced clostridial agar solutions. The inoculated broth
and agar solutions were incubated for 24 h at 37 °C under aerobic and
anaerobic conditions, respectively. Following incubation, samples (1
mL) were plated onto growth-selective Petrifilm plates and spread in
accordance with the supplier’s instructions. Plates were subjected to
incubation in accordance with the supplier’s instruction. Enumeration
was performed under a low powered (3×) light microscope with a hand
held colony counter.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Identification and Quantification of Anthocyanins and
Other Flavonoids. Five ACNs were identified from freeze-
dried acai (Figure 1A). Of them, cyanidin 3-glucoside and
cyanidin 3-rutinoside were found to be the predominant ACNs.
Three minor ACNs, cyanidin 3-sambubioside, peonidin 3-glu-
coside, and peonidin 3-rutinoside, were also identified from acai.
Among these minor ACNs, cyanidin 3-sambubioside and
peonidin 3-glucoside were identified from acai for the first time.
The MS spectral data and content of individual ACNs are
presented in Table 1.
Like other berries rich in ACNs showing high antioxidant
capacity (16), ACNs were believed to be the major antioxidant
in freeze-dried acai. Nevertheless, freeze-dried acai was found
to contain two major anthocyanins and their contents are much
lower compared with that in most other berries (17). In this
study, cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside were
found to be the major ACNs in freeze-dried acai, which agree
with three previous reports (3,6, 8). Three minor ACNs, namely,
cyanidin 3-sambubioside, peonidin 3-glucoside, and peonidin
3-rutinoside, were detected in freeze-dried acai. But our results
were not in accordance with two recent papers. In one of them
(7), cyanidin 3-arabinoside and cyanidin 3-arabinosylarabinoside
were identified as predominant ACNs, whereas in the other
paper (9), only cyanidin 3-glucoside was found to be the
predominant ACN, and pelargonidin 3-glucoside was identified
as a minor ACN. Considering the significant difference of these
ACN profiles of the plant materials, the results reported by these
two papers (7,9) have to be questioned. They were probably
fruits either from other palm trees or other palm fruit varieties,
rather than Euterpe oleraceae Mart. Thus, it is possible that in
future study of acai, the ACN profile may be used as an
alternative way to determine the plant materials. The total ACN
content in freeze-dried acai was 3.19 mg/g DW. It turned out
to be lower than most other dark colored berries such as
blueberries, blackberries, or cranberries (17).
Chemical structures of these ACNs are presented in Figure
2. Twelve other flavonoid-like compounds were also detected
in acai (Figure 1B); five of them were identified as homoori-
entin, orientin, taxifolin deoxyhexose, isovitexin, and scoparin
Figure 1.
Reverse phase HPLC chromatograms of freeze-dried acai
detected at 520 nm (A) and 360 nm (B). Peak identification and their MS
data are shown in Table 1.
Table 1.
Identification and Concentration of Anthocyanins and Other
Flavonoinds in Freeze-Dried Acai
peak
no.
t
R
(min) MS
(
m/z
)MS/MS
(
m/z
) compounds content
(mg/g DW
a
)
Anthocyanins
1 25.6 581 287 cyanidin 3-sambubioside 0.04
2 26.7 449 287 cyanidin 3-glucoside 1.17
3 29.4 595 449/287 cyanidin 3-rutinoside 1.93
4 33.9
cc
peonidin 3-glucoside 0.02
5 36.6 609 463/301 peonidin 3-rutinoside 0.04
total 3.19
Other Flavonoids
6 22.4 689 671/609/489/369 unknown
b
7 26.1 673 655/593/503/353 unknown
b
8 27.5 391 289/221/143 unknown
b
9 29.7 413 369/311/125 unknown
b
10 30.2 449 327/269/151 unknown
b
11 32.0 447 393/357/327 homoorientin
b
12 32.4 373 341 unknown
b
13 33.9 447 429/357/327/285 orientin
b
14 36.2 431 341/311/283 unknown
b
15 39.1 449 269/151 taxifolin deoxyhexose
b
16 41.8 431 341/311/283 isovitexin
b
17 43.1 461 407/371/341/309/231 scoparin
b
a
Dry weight.
b
Not available.
c
Not determined.
Figure 2.
Chemical structures of anthocyanins in freeze-dried acai.
8600
J. Agric. Food Chem.,
Vol. 54, No. 22, 2006 Schauss et al.
by comparing their MS data with that from a published paper
(8)(Table 2). However, quantification of these compounds
failed due to lack of standards.
Characterization and Quantification of Proanthocyani-
dins. Proanthocyanidins (PACs) were found in acai as another
group of polyphenolic compounds (3). In this study, proantho-
cyanidins were completely characterized and quantified in
freeze-dried acai for the first time. Freeze-dried acai was found
to contain monomers (epicatechin and catechin) and B type
procyanidins from dimers to polymers, and polymers were found
to be the major PACs in freeze-dried acai (Figure 3). The
content of each group of proanthocyanidins is summarized in
Table 2. Significantly, the profile of proanthocyanidins in
freeze-dried acai is very similar to that of the blueberry (12).
Proanthocyanidins have been found in most berries and have
been found to possess strong antioxidant capacity, so they may
contribute, at least partly, to overall in Vitro antioxidant capacity.
But being molecular compounds, in what forms they are
absorbed or metabolized remains largely unknown. Therefore,
their in ViVocapacity as dietary antioxidants is still open to
question.
Identification of Resveratrol. Resveratrol has been found
primarily in grape skin and reported to exhibit chemopreventive
properties against cancer (18,19). Freeze-dried acai contained
trans-resveratrol. However, the concentration is only 1.1 µg/g,
which is probably too low to show actual chemopreventive
effects, although this too remains an open question.
Fatty Acids, Amino Acids, Sterols, and Nutrient Analysis.
Fatty acids, amino acids, sterols, heavy metal analysis, and a
complete nutrient analysis of freeze-dried acai are reported in
Tables 3-6, respectively. When the health benefits of a food are evaluated, the composition of other components and nutrients
except for phytochemicals are analyzed. Nutrients
Figure 3.
Normal phase HPLC chromatograms of freeze-dried acai
detected by FLD with excitation at 276 nm and emission at 316 nm.
Table 2.
Content of Proanthocyanidins in Freeze-Dried Acai
proanthocyanidins content (mg/g, DW
a
)
monomers 0.21
dimers 0.30
trimers 0.25
tetramers 0.32
pentamers 0.31
hexamers 0.52
hepamers 0.32
octamers 0.39
nonamers 0.64
decamers 0.34
polymers 9.28
total 12.89
a
Dry weight.
Table 3.
Fatty Acids in Freeze-Dried Acai
fatty acids formula content (%)
Saturated Fatty Acids
butynic 4:0 <0.1
caproic 6:0 <0.1
caprylic 8:0 <0.1
capric 10:0 <0.1
undecanoic 11:0 <0.1
lauric 12:0 0.1
tridecanoic 13:0 <0.1
myristic 14:0 0.2
pentadecanoic 15:0 <0.1
palmitic 16:0 24.1
margaric 17:0 0.1
stearic 18:0 1.6
nonadecanoic 19:0 <0.1
eicosanoic 20:0 <0.1
behenic 22:0 <0.1
tricosanoic 23:0 <0.1
lignoceric 24:0 <0.1
total 26.1
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
tridecenoic 13:1 <0.1
myristoleic 14:1 <0.1
pentadecenoic 15:1 <0.1
palmitoleic 16:1 4.3
margaroleic 17:1 0.1
oleic 18:1C 56.2
elaidic 18:1T <0.1
gadoleic 20:1 <0.1
erucic 22:1 <0.1
nervonic 24:1 <0.1
total 60.6
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
linoleic 18:2 12.5
linolenic 18:3 0.8
gamma linolenic 18:3G <0.1
eicosadienoic 20:2 <0.1
eicosatrienoic 20:3 <0.1
homogamma linolenic 20:3G <0.1
arachidonic 20:4 <0.1
eicosapentaenoic 20:5 <0.1
docosadienoic 22:2 <0.1
docosahexaenoic 22:6 <0.1
total 13.3
Table 4.
Analysis of Amino Acids from Freeze-Dried Acai.
amino acids result (%)
aspartic acid 0.83
threonine 0.31
serine 0.32
glutamic acid 0.80
glycine 0.39
alanine 0.46
valine 0.51
methionine 0.12
isoleucine 0.38
leucine 0.65
tyrosine 0.29
phenylalanine 0.43
lysine 0.66
histidine 0.17
arginine 0.42
proline 0.53
hydroxyproline <0.01
cystine 0.18
tryptophan 0.13
total 7.59
Phytochemical and Nutrient Composition of Acai
J. Agric. Food Chem.,
Vol. 54, No. 22, 2006 8601
preserved in freeze-dried acai may exert certain health effects.
For instance, plant sterols have been found to have certain
anticancer properties (20). A recent paper indicates that proteins
in acai have inhibitory activity towards salivary R-amylase (21).
In this paper, we present the complete analysis of fatty acids,
sterols, amino acids, and other nutrients. Analysis of fatty acid
composition revealed that the predominant fatty acid was oleic
acid (56.2%), followed by palmitic acid (24.1%) and linoleic
acid (12.5%). Total unsaturated fatty acid is 73.9% of all fatty
acids. This result is largely in accordance with a previous report
(22), though a more complete fatty acid composition was
provided in this study. Five sterols were also found in acai in
the paper mentioned above (22). However, β-sitosterol, campes-
terol, and sigmasterol were found in our study. Nineteen amino
acids were found in freeze-dried acai for the first time. The
total amino acid content is 7.59% of total weight. The nutrient
composition of acai has previously been summarized in a book
written in Portuguese based on several early studies (23).
Unfortunately, data from different studies have not always
agreed with each other. Besides, all the studies being sum-
marized were conducted many years ago; two of them in the
1940s. Thus, we felt it might be useful to reanalyze the nutrient
composition of acai. By adopting mostly AOAC procedures and
new instrumentation, we tried to provide more accurate data
compared with older data.
Microbiological and Heavy Metal Analysis. Microbiological
and heavy metal analysis of freeze-dried acai is presented in
Table 7. This information is highly related to safety and stability
issues, and we hope this will be of help to those who are
interested in developing products from acai.
Conclusion. The phytochemical and nutrient composition
of Euterpe oleraceae Mart. has been investigated in this study.
Anthocyanins (ACNs), proanthocyanidins (PACs), and other
flavonoids were found to be the major phytochemicals in freeze-
dried acai. The two most predominant ACNs found were
cyandin 3-glucoside and cyaniding 3-rutinoside, although their
concentration was found to be lower than expected. For the first
time, PACs were quantified and characterized in freeze-dried
acai, with the majority of them being polymers. A complete
analysis of fatty acids, sterols, amino acids, and other nutrients
was also provided. The data obtained in the present study is
crucially significant in advancing our understanding of the
chemistry and therapeutic value of the Amazonian palm berry,
Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (acai).
LITERATURE CITED
(1) Strudwick, J.; Sobel, G. L. Uses of Euterpe oleraceae Mart. in
the Amazon estuary. Braz. AdV. Econ. Bot. 1988,6, 225-253.
(2) Plotkin, M. J.; Balick, M. J. Medicine uses of South American
palms. J. Ethnopharm. 1984,10, 157-179.
(3) Lichtentha¨ler, R.; Rodrigues, R. B.; Maia, J. G. S.; Papagian-
nopoulos, M.; Fabricius, H.; Marx, F. Total oxidant scavenging
capacities of Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (acai) fruit. Int. J. Food
Sci. Nutr. 2005,56,53-64.
(4) Coı¨sson, J. D.; Travaglia, F.; Piana, G.; Capasso, M.; Arlorio,
M. Euterpe oleraceae juice as functional pigment for yogurt.
Food Res. Int. 2005, 38, 847-853.
(5) Hassimotto, N. M. A.; Genovese, M. I.; Lajolo, F. M. Antioxidant
activity of dietary fruits, vegetables, and commercial frozen fruit
pulps. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2005,53, 2928-2935.
(6) Iaderoza, M.; Baldini, V. L. S.; Draetta, I. D. S.; Bovi, M. L. A.
Anthocyanins from fruits of acai (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) and
jucara (Euterpe edulis Mart.). Trop. Sci. 1992,32,41-46.
(7) Bobbio, F. O.; Druzian, J. I.; Abrao, P. A.; Bobbio, P. A.; Fadelli,
S. Identification and quantification of anthocyanins from the acai
fruit (Euterpe oleracea) Mart. Cienc. Tecnol. Aliment. 2000,20,
388-390.
(8) Gallori, S.; Bilia, A. R.; Bergonzi, M. C.; Barbosa, W. L. R.;
Vincieri, F. F. Polyphenolic constituents of fruit pulp of Euterpe
oleraceae Mart. (acai palm). Chromatographia 2004,59, 739-
743.
Table 5.
Sterols in Freeze-Dried Acai
sterols concentration
(mg/g DW
a
)
β
-sitosterol 0.44
campesterol <0.03
sigmasterol 0.04
total 0.48
a
Dry weight.
Table 6.
Nutrient Analysis of Freeze-Dried Acai
anayltes result unit per
100gDW
a
Label Analytes
calories 533.9
calories from fat 292.6
total fat 32.5 g
saturated fat 8.1 g
cholesterol 13.5 Mg
sodium 30.4 Mg
total carbohydrate 52.2 g
dietary fiber 44.2 g
sugars 1.3 g
protein (
F
)
6.25) 8.1 g
vitamin A 1002 IU
vitamin C <0.1 Mg
calcium 260.0 Mg
iron 4.4 Mg
Contributing Analytes
moisture 3.4 g
ash 3.8 g
beta carotene <5.0 IU
retinol 1002 IU
Sugar Profile
fructose 0.4 g
lactose <0.1 g
sucrose <0.1 g
glucose 0.8 g
maltose 0.1 g
a
Dry weight.
Table 7.
Microbiological and Heavy Metal Analysis of Freeze-Dried
Acai
analyte result unit
Escherichia coli
/coliform
(AOAC 991.14) < 1 cfu/g
Salmonella
(AOAC 989.13) - ve
+
/-
Staphylococcus aureus
(AOAC 2000.15) < 1 cfu/g
yeast and mold (AOAC 997.02)
a
cfu/g
total aerobic (AOAC 990.12) 51600 cfu/g
Heavy Metals
lead 36.77 ppb
arsenic 9.51 ppb
cadmium 9.41 ppb
mercury 1.58 ppb
a
Too numerous to count.
8602
J. Agric. Food Chem.,
Vol. 54, No. 22, 2006 Schauss et al.
(9) Polo-Insfran, D. D.; Brenes, C. H.; Talcott, S. T. Phytochemical
composition and pigment stability of acai (Euterpe oleraceae
Mart.). J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004,52, 1539-1545.
(10) Wu, X.; Gu, L.; Prior, R. L.; McKay, S. Characterization of
anthocyanins and proanthocyanins in some cultivars of Ribes,
Aronia and Sambucus and their antioxidant capacity. J. Agric.
Food Chem. 2004,52, 7846-7856.
(11) Wu, X.; Prior, R. L. Systematic identification and characterization
of anthocyanins by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS in common foods in the
United States: Fruits and berries. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2005,
53, 2589-2599.
(12) Gu, L.; Kelm, M.; Hammerstone, J. F.; Beecher, G.; Cunningham,
D.; Vannozzi, S.; Prior, R. L. Fractionation of polymeric
procyanidins from lowbush blueberry and quantification of
procyanidins in selected foods with an optimized normal-phase
HPLC-MS fluorescent detection method. J. Agric. Food Chem.
2002,50, 4852-4860.
(13) www.nsf-ina.org/methods/sterols.html.
(14) Horwitz, W., Ed. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC
International, 17th ed.; AOAC International: Gaithersburg, MD,
2000.
(15) Reynolds, S. L.; Hudd, H. J. Rapid procedure for the determi-
nation of vitamins A and D in fortified skimmed milk powder
using high-performance liquid chromatography. Analyst 1984,
109, 489-492.
(16) Wu, X.; Beecher, G.; Holden, J.; Haytowitz, D.; Gebhardt, S.
E.; Prior, R. L. Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities
of common foods in the U.S. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004,52,
4026-4037.
(17) Wu, X.; Beecher, G.; Holden, J.; Haytowitz, D.; Gebhardt, S.
E.; Prior, R. L. Concentration of anthocyanins in common foods
and estimation of normal consumption in the United States. J.
Agric. Food Chem. 2006,54, 4069-4075.
(18) Jang, M. S.; Cai, E. N.; Udeani, G. O.; Slowing, K. V.; Thomas,
C. F.; Beecher, C. W. W.; Fong, H. H. S. Cancer chemopre-
ventive activity of resveratrol, a natural product derived from
grapes. Science 1997,275, 218-220.
(19) Ulrich, S.; Wolter, F.; Stein, J. M. Molecular mechanisms of
the chemopreventive effects of resveratrol and its analogs in
carcinogenesis. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2005,49, 452-461.
(20) Awad, A. B.; Fink, C. S. Phytosterols as anticancer dietary
components: evidence and mechanism of action. Am. Soc. Nutr.
Sci. 2000,130, 2127-2130.
(21) Arau´jo, C. L.; Bezerra, I. W. L.; Dantas, I. C.; Lima, T. V. S.;
Oliveira, A. S.; Miranda, M. R. R. A.; Leite, E. L.; Sales, M. P.
Biological activity of proteins from pulps of tropical fruits. Food
Chem. 2004,85, 107-110.
(22) Lubrano, C.; Robin, J. R.; Khaiat, A. Fatty acids, sterol and
tocopherol composition of oil from the fruits mesocarp of six
palm species in French Guiana. Ole´agineux 1994,49,59-65.
(23) Rogez, H. Acai: Prepario, Composicao e Melhoramento de
ConserVacao; Univerisidade Ferderal de Para: Belem, Brasil,
2000; p 158.
Received for review April 6, 2006. Revised manuscript received July
4, 2006. Accepted September 5, 2006.
JF060976G
Phytochemical and Nutrient Composition of Acai
J. Agric. Food Chem.,
Vol. 54, No. 22, 2006 8603
