Harvesting Acai Berry
The acai palm tree is a towering plant that grows in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest. The tree has a long, thin trunk that stretches 25 meters tall and is topped with leafy branches. Twice during the year the branches are overgrown with hundreds of dark purple, small berries that are hugely accounted for in the diet of the country’s natives.
The fruit is bravely harvested by a person who shimmies up the tree to cut the branches. Now small farming villages are mass producing the acai berry. Because the acai berry only has a lifespan of 24 hours, the fruit has to be harvested in baskets, loaded on boats, and transported to processing plants and local markets as fast as it can be done. Usually, the boats will carry the fruit to the local town through the night.
Acai Berry Processing and Packaging
Since acai berries only make up 10% of the whole berry, as the rest of it is made up of seed, the fruit is put through processing that separates the seed and the pulp in order to make an edible and thick puree. Acai berries can also be made into pulp or juice and dried or freeze-dried for powder, depending on where the product is going.
The pulp and juice of acai berries is used often in blends of smoothies, juices, and other drinks. In the northern part of Brazil, the fruit is frequently served in cuias (gourds) with tapioca. Depending on the preference of the locals, it can be consumed sweet or salty. The acai berry has become famous in southern Brazil as well, which is where they frequently mix it with granola and is consumed cold.
Latest Interest
There has recently been a surging interest in acai berries from many countries, including the United States. Big companies are now purchasing the fruit from the local farmers and making a plethora of products from the berries, including powdered supplements and expensive juices.
Fortunately, the arrangement is very beneficial for the locals and the Rainforest both. Harvesting the fruit will not destroy any of the trees. The opposite actually occurs, as the locals have been encouraged to protect the acai palm trees rather than chopping them down, using them for palm hearts or wood.
Freeze Drying Acai Berries for Better Health Benefits
Freeze drying is a process of removing liquids from a certain product with the goal of increasing the shelf life. In fruits, freeze drying is applied to maintain the health benefits of the fruit while increasing shelf life. Freeze drying is also used by taxidermists and Astronauts usually consume frozen dried meal when in space. The most popular use of of freeze drying process is applied in fruits.
Three Part Process of Freeze Drying
Fruits are placed in shell freezers or similar facility with temperatures that range from -50 oC to -80 oC. This step is the most important in the freeze drying process as this will separate the liquid from the solid component of fruits. Any deviation from the approved process will result to spoilage. The cells in fruits could be easily damaged and could become rotten if the area is too cold. If the area is not cool enough, water might not separate from the solid components of the fruit.
After the freezing process, the fruits are placed in the primary drying process. At this stage, at least 95% of the water content in fruits should be removed. Although not as important as the freezing process, it’s probably the most complicated. The latent heat of fruit should be constantly observed. Latent heat is basically the heat required of a material to transfer to a different phase. In this case, enough heat should be applied to the fruits to melt the water and transform them into vapor. The heat could come from convection, radiation or simple conduction.
During the second drying phase, the remaining water content in the fruits is removed. They are often in the form of ice which means it requires a little bit more heat to completely remove the remaining water.
If the freeze drying process is a success, the fruits could stay in the same form for a very long period of time. Aside from health benefits, the taste and smell of the fruits would even stay the same. Freeze dried fruits could then be powdered which could become soluble and taken as fruit juice.
