Understanding Acai Berry Fruit!

Many people do not realize the long trip that Acai berries must make in order to reach the shelves of stores selling them as supplements. This fruit grows on the beautiful Acai Palm deep in the heart of the Amazon desert. Each year only about 20-30 berries can be harvested from each Acai Palm.

People who live in South America routinely use all parts of the Acai palm from the roots, leaves, barks, seeds, skins and pulps. What most of us find in the supplements that we take are the fleshy fruit and pulp that is wrapped inside the leathery skin. These are harvested and made into extracts that are put into supplements, powders and juices.

Harvesting the Acai Berry Fruit! No Easy Task

Once the berries are harvested they have a fast tendency to rot. The Acai berry rots so quickly that scientists actually developed on site methods in order to freeze dry them so that they can hold their beneficial nutrient power. They are harvested, freeze dried and then exported all over the world.

This is one of the reasons that you will never see real or fresh Acai berries in your local grocery store. The fact will always be that the only way to eat a fresh Acai berry is to visit  Brazil and pick them your self.