One of the elements involved in selecting an acai supplement is the method used to manufacture it. Acai berries don’t travel well and aren’t going to be found as fresh fruit in the United States. Probably the most common form of acai supplement is a powder that is made from acai pulp and skins that have been either freeze dried or spray dried.
Spray dried acai products are an inferior choice. Preparation involves heating the berries to a very high temperature, which eliminates the moisture in the berry. They are then sprayed with a chemical that keeps the product stable. However the heating process combined with the chemical interjection results in a product that has lost much of its nutritional value.
Freeze dried acai that has been turned into a powder retains a high level of the natural nutrients and antioxidants associated with the acai berry. It is this powder that is used to make blended concoctions such as smoothies. It is also used in processing facilities to make acai capsules and acai tablets, to be consumed like vitamin pills on a daily basis.
Juice from the acai berry is another popular supplement. It must be manufactured near the source of the berries, since importing the fruit to the United States isn’t an option. If the juice is bottled and packaged properly it’s an excellent choice for an acai supplement. Unfortunately, many of the companies marketing acai juice today are blending it with other juices – and often additional elements such as green tea and caffeine – and putting it on the market as an energy drink.
The FDA also reported as long ago as 2004 that some manufacturers were blending acai juice with cheaper fruit juice products in order to keep production costs down, and calling the end result 100% acai juice. Be sure of the brand quality on acai juice before you purchase it.