The acai berry has proven to be a delicate food source, one that deteriorates rapidly after it is harvested. For that reason, anyone who resides outside of the Amazonian rain forests where the acai tree is found must rely on some sort of processed product to maintain an acai berry diet.
The two products that most closely resemble the acai berry in its natural state are acai puree and acai berry juice. The juice enjoys much wider distribution that acai puree, because most acai juice undergoes considerable alteration before it is bottled and sold.
Large outlets like Whole Foods or GNC require their products to have extended shelf life; acai puree doesn’t do well in storage. The acai juice products that have additives along with pasteurization survive much longer and therefore can be found in a much wider range of outlets.
Juice bottles labeled acai often include juice from other fruits; in some cases green tea extract; and in some cases caffeine. If you are looking for acai juice that is simply acai you will have to read the labels carefully and probably do considerable shopping before you find what you want. Beverage companies make a habit of diluting more expensive ingredients with cheaper products that have similar properties. That’s why many of the beverages that claim acai energy on the label have only fractional acai content.
The key to quality acai juice preparation is finding a process that will minimize the loss of antioxidants and the Omega fatty acids. By definition a fruit juice is going to have the fruit’s fiber content squeezed out of it. The key to selecting a quality acai juice off the shelf is finding the bottle that has the highest percentage of acai juice contained in it.
Unfortunately, many of the beverage purveyors don’t provide that information. You may have to seek out information on the manufacturer’s website about acai content. If acai products maintain their popularity, the quick-buck acai marketers will lose steam and we may see more honesty in product labeling.