ACAI – EUTERPE OLERACEAProduct Monograph

PREPARED BY: GERALDO GARCIA PHARMACEUTICAL QA/QC

PRA 3003NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS

SUBMITTED TO: PEIVAND PIROUZI INSTRUCTOR

Background on Açai

Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is a palm plant widely distributed in northern South America with its greatest occurrence and economic importance in the floodplains of the Brazilian Amazon.

Açai is a slender, multi-stemmed, monoecious palm that can reach a height of over 30 meters. A wide variety of marketable products are produced from this palm, but the spherical fruits

that are mainly harvested from July to December are its most important edible product. Each palm tree produces from 3 to 4 bunches of fruit, each bunch having from 3-6 kg of fruit. The round-shaped fruits appear in green clusters when immature and ripen to a dark, purple

colored fruit that ranges from 1.0-1.5 cm in diameter. The seed accounts for most of the fruit size and is covered by thin fibrous fibers under which

is a small edible layer. A viscous juice is typically prepared by macerating the edible pulp that is approximately 2.4%

protein and 5.9% lipid. The juice is currently used to produce energetic snack beverages, ice cream, jelly, liqueur,

and is commonly blended with a variety of other juices.

Proper name(s)Euterpe oleracea

Common name(s)  < Cabbage palm (McGuffin et al. 2000; USDA 1999) < Assai palm (McGuffin et al. 2000; USDA 1999) < Açai (Mors et al. 2000; USDA 1999) < Acai (NS 2012; derMarderosian and Beutler 2008)

• Source material(s)

Fruit

• Route(s) of administration

Oral

Dosage form(s)

The acceptable pharmaceutical dosage forms include, but are not limited to capsules, chewables (e.g. gummies, tablets), liquids, powders, strips or tablets.

This monograph is not intended to include foods or food-like dosage forms such as bars, chewing gums or beverages.

• Use(s) or Purpose(s) Provides antioxidants

• Dose(s)

Subpopulation(s) Adults ( ≥ 19 years)

• Quantity(ies) Not to exceed 14 g dried fruit or dried fruit juice, per day

People Use This For: Orally, acai is used for osteoarthritis, hypercholesterolemia, erectile dysfunction, weight loss and obesity, detoxification, aging skin, metabolic syndrome, and for improving general health. As a food, the acai berry is consumed raw and as a juice. The juice is also used commercially as a beverage and in ice cream, jelly, and liquors. In manufacturing, acai berry is used as a natural food colorant.

Safety:

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately, short-term. Acai has been safely used in a clinical trial lasting up to one month .

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Effectiveness: INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCEMetabolic syndrome. Preliminary clinical research suggests that consuming 100 mg of acai pulp twice daily for one month reduces fasting glucose and total cholesterol levels from baseline in overweight patients. However, no effect was seen on low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL), blood pressure, C-reactive protein (CRP) or nitric oxide metabolites More evidence is needed to rate acai for this use.

Mechanism of Action: The applicable part of acai is the fruit or berry. Acai juice is often prepared by macerating

the fruit. The juice is viscous and contains about 2.4% protein and 5.9% lipids. The fruit pulp contains about 4% protein and 12% lipids. Other nutrients include calcium, vitamin A, phosphorus, iron, and thiamine.

Acai berry contains several anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and other flavonoids. The most abundant are cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, ferulic acid, epicatechin, p-hydroxy benzoic acid, and pelargonidin-3-glucoside. Others include cyanidin 3-sambubioside, peonidin 3-glucoside, and peonidin 3-rutinoside, gallic acid and several derivatives, catechin, and ellagic acid.

The anthocyanins are pigments that give the ripe fruit its purple color. Anthocyanins are also potent antioxidants. Acai fruit pulp has a very high antioxidant capacity. It has more antioxidant content than cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or blueberry.

A specific freeze-dried acai fruit pulp and skin powder (OptiAcai, K2A LLC) has potent in vitro antioxidant activity against superoxide and peroxyl radical which is higher than other fruits. But has only mild antioxidant activity against peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radical. This extract also appears to inhibit cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and COX-2 in vitro (15051).

Acai berry also contains several fatty acids. The most abundant is the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) oleic acid. The second most abundant is the saturated fatty acid palmitic acid. The third most abundant is the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) linoleic acid (15050).

Adverse Reactions:

None reported. However, raw acai fruit and juice can be contaminated with a parasitic protozoan called Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes American trypanosomiasis or Chagas Disease. A Brazilian outbreak of this disease in 2006 was linked to consumption of acai juice

Interactions with Herbs & Supplements: None known.

Interactions with Drugs: None known.

Interactions with Foods: None known.

Interactions with Lab Tests: MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI): Consumption of acai fruit might increase T1-

weighted MRI signal and decrease T2-weighted MRI signal in imaging studies of the gastrointestinal tract (13088).

Interactions with Diseases or Conditions: None known