Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Açai Berry (Euterpe oleracea) Dietary Supplements: Variations in Anthocyanin and Flavonoid Concentrations, Phenolic Contents, and Antioxidant Properties

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Açai (Euterpe oleracea) is a palm plant that is native to South America and produces deep purple berry fruits. Despite açai’s popularity as a dietary supplement, little is known about the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of commercially available açai berry products. Therefore, twenty açai supplements in a variety of forms (e.g., capsule, powder, frozen pulp, and liquid) were analyzed for their total phenolic and anthocyanin contents, individual anthocyanin and other flavonoid concentrations, and antioxidant capacities. Hierarchical cluster analysis was then used to group açai supplements into categories based on similarities in their chemical profiles and antioxidant properties. Results showed that over half of the supplements contained little or no açai fruit or had sufficient amounts of water to substantially lower the concentration of açai chemical components. Additionally, two açai supplements contained unlisted ingredients that greatly altered the products’ chemical properties. Chromatographic analysis of individual anthocyanins and other flavonoids was useful in identifying the presence of açai fruit within the dietary supplements while complimentary in vitro spectroscopic assays aided in detection of adulterants. This study highlights the complexity of the dietary supplement market while also showing the importance of collectively analyzing data from multiple complimentary techniques when evaluating açai berry products.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Weinstein S, Moegenburg S (2004) Açaí palm management in the Amazon estuary: course for conservation or passage to plantations? Conserv Soc 2:315–346

    Google Scholar 

  2. Heinrich M, Dhanji T, Casselman I (2011) Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) – a phytochemical and pharmacological assessment of the species’ health claims. Phytochem Lett 4:10–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Schreckinger ME, Lotton J, Lila M, de Mejia EG (2010) Berries from South America: a comprehensive review on chemistry, health potential, and commercialization. J Med Food 13:233–246

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Benatrehina PA, Pan L, Naman CB, Li J, Kinghorn AD (2018) The use, biological activity and safety of selected botanical dietary supplements consumed in the United States. J Tradit Complement Med 8:267–277

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Yamaguchi KKL, Pereira LFR, Lamarão CV, Lima ES, da Veiga-Junior VF (2015) Amazon acai: chemistry and biological activities: a review. Food Chem 179:137–151

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Odendaal AY, Schauss AG (2014) Potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids in the nutrient-rich Amazonian palm fruit, açai (Euterpe spp.). In: Watson RR, Preedy VR, Zibadi S (eds) Polyphenols in human health and disease, vol 1. Elsevier Inc, Amsterdam, pp 219–239

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  7. Lichtenthäler R, Rodrigues RB, Maia JGS, Papagiannopoulos M, Fabricus MF (2005) Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) fruits. Int J Food Sci Nutr 56:53–64

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Patel D, Huang D, Kababick JP (2006) Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (acai). J Agric Food Chem 54:8598–8603

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Zafra-Stone S, Yasmin T, Bagchi M, Chatterjee A, Vinson JA, Bagchi D (2007) Berry anthocyanins as novel antioxidants in human health and disease prevention. Mol Nutr Food Res 51:675–683

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gordon A, Cruz APG, Cabral LMC, de Freitas SC, Taxi CMAD, Donangelo CM, de Andrade Mattietto R, Friedrich M, da Matta VM, Marx F (2012) Chemical characterization and evaluation of antioxidant properties of açai fruits (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) during ripening. Food Chem 133:256–263

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Pacheco-Palencia LA, Duncan CE, Talcott ST (2009) Phytochemical composition and thermal stability of two commercial açai species, Euterpe oleracea and Euterpe precatoria. Food Chem 115:1199–1205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Fibigr J, Šatínsky D, Solich P (2018) Current trends in the analysis and quality control of food supplements based on plant extracts. Anal Chim Acta 1036:1–15

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Lee J (2014) Marketplace analysis demonstrates quality control standards needed for black raspberry dietary supplements. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 69:161–167

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Henning SM, Zhang Y, Rontoyanni VG, Huang J, Lee RP, Trang A, Nuernberger G, Heber D (2014) Variability in the antioxidant activity of dietary supplements from pomegranate, milk thistle, green tea, grape seed, goji and acai: effect of in vitro digestion. J Agric Food Chem 62:4313–4321

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Mulabagal V, Keller WJ, Calderón AI (2012) Quantitative analysis of anthocyanins in Euterpe oleracea (açaí) dietary supplement raw materials and capsules by Q-TOF liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Pharm Biol 50:1289–1296

  16. Wu X, Gu L, Prior RL, McKay S (2004) Characterization of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins in some cultivars of Ribes, Aronia, and Sambucus and their antioxidant capacity. J Agric Food Chem 52:7846–7856

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Singleton VL, Rossi JA Jr (1965) Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic–phosphotungstic acid reagents. Am J Enol Vitic 16:144–158

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Abdel-Aal ESM, Huel P (1999) A rapid method for quantifying total anthocyanins in blue aleurone and purple pericarp wheats. Cereal Chem 76:350–354

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Lee J, Durst RW, Wrolstad RE (2005) Determination of total monomeric anthocyanin pigment content of fruit juices, beverages, natural colorants, and wines by the pH differential method: collaborative study. J AOAC Int 88:1269–1278

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Benzie IFF, Strain JJ (1996) The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of “antioxidant power”: the FRAP assay. Anal Biochem 239:70–76

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Cheng Z, Moore J, Yu L (2006) High-throughput relative DPPH radical scavenging capacity assay. J Agric Food Chem 54:7429–7436

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Apak R, Özyürek M, Güçlü K, Çapanoglu E (2016) Antioxidant activity/capacity measurement. 1. Classification, physicochemical principles, mechanisms, and electron transfer (ET)-based assays. J Agric Food Chem 64:997–1027

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Wang SY, Chen C-T, Sciarappa W, Wang CY, Camp MJ (2008) Fruit quality, antioxidant capacity, and flavonoid content of organically and conventionally grown blueberries. J Agric Food Chem 56:5788–5794

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Robert A. Welch Foundation (AF-0005) and Southwestern University’s Herbert and Kate Dishman fund. The authors wish to thank James Alleyn and Anthony Dapoz for their role in initiating this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Southwestern University, 1001 E. University Ave., Georgetown, TX, 78626, USA

    Mei Earling, Triston Beadle & Emily D. Niemeyer

Authors
  1. Mei Earling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Triston Beadle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Emily D. Niemeyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emily D. Niemeyer.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic Supplementary Material

ESM 1

(DOCX 360 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Earling, M., Beadle, T. & Niemeyer, E.D. Açai Berry (Euterpe oleracea) Dietary Supplements: Variations in Anthocyanin and Flavonoid Concentrations, Phenolic Contents, and Antioxidant Properties. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 74, 421–429 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00755-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00755-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation