Acai
Acai is the fruit of Euterpe oleracea, a palm of the Amazon floodplain, traded as frozen pulp, spray-dried and freeze-dried powder and, in smaller volume, as standardised extract. The fruit is a small dark purple drupe in which the edible flesh is a thin layer around a large seed, so yields are low and the seed makes up most of the harvested weight.
Unlike most fruits, acai is a lipid-rich material rather than a sugar-rich one. The pulp on a dry basis runs roughly 40 to 50 percent fat, dominated by oleic and palmitic acid, with substantial insoluble fibre and very little sugar, which is why unsweetened acai tastes earthy rather than sweet. The colour and the antioxidant positioning come from anthocyanins, chiefly cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside, supported by flavonoids and phenolic acids.
Powder is a deep purple hygroscopic solid that disperses rather than dissolves, since the fat and fibre remain. The anthocyanins fade with heat, light and rising pH and are most stable in acidic conditions, and the high fat content means oxidative rancidity limits shelf life alongside colour loss, so material is packed under nitrogen and held cold.
We source bulk Acai from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Jiangsu. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Deep purple free-flowing powder with earthy characteristic odour |
| Identification | HPLC anthocyanin profile conforms to Euterpe oleracea reference |
| Total anthocyanins | 1.0 percent minimum |
| Total fat | 25.0 percent minimum for freeze-dried whole pulp |
| Total dietary fibre | 20.0 percent minimum |
| Loss on drying | 6.0 percent maximum |
| Total ash | 5.0 percent maximum |
| pH (1 percent aqueous suspension) | 4.0 to 5.5 |
| Peroxide value | 10.0 meq/kg maximum on extracted fat |
| Lead | 1.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Arsenic | 1.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Total plate count | 10000 cfu/g maximum |
| Escherichia coli | Absent in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Pulp grades are quoted on total solids, with the Brazilian trade distinguishing fine, medium and coarse or popular grades at roughly 8, 11 and 14 percent solids, and the pulp ships frozen in blocks or pouches, pasteurised or not. Powder grades divide between spray-dried powder on a maltodextrin carrier, the economical article, and freeze-dried whole pulp powder, which carries no carrier, retains more anthocyanin and costs considerably more.
Standardised extracts are quoted on total anthocyanins, commonly 1, 5 or 10 percent, and buyers should note whether the figure is by pH differential method or by HPLC. Organic and fair trade certified lots are widely produced. The specification points that most affect a lot are the anthocyanin figure, the fat content, which indicates whether pulp has been diluted or defatted, and the microbiological status, since acai pulp has been associated with Chagas disease transmission through contamination with triatomine insects and their vectors, which is why pasteurisation or an equivalent treatment is a normal requirement.
Applications
- Acai bowls and frozen dessert bases, the largest single outlet for the pulp
- Smoothies and blended beverages using frozen pulp or powder
- Superfruit supplement capsules and powders sold on anthocyanin content
- Functional and juice drinks, usually blended with sweeter fruits to balance the earthy profile
- Yogurt, dairy and plant-based dessert applications
- Nutrition bars and snacks using freeze-dried powder
- Natural purple colour contribution in acidic beverages and confectionery
- Nutricosmetic products and beauty-from-within blends
- Skin care formulations using acai oil pressed from the pulp
Brands Using Acai
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Acai on the ingredient label.
- SAMBAZONUnsweetened Frozen Acai Superfruit Packs ↗Frozen puree packs whose ingredient list reads organic acai puree of filtered water and organic Fair Trade acai, plus sunflower lecithin and citric acid.Label verified 2026-08-31
- SAMBAZONOriginal Blend Frozen Acai Packets ↗The sweetened version of the frozen packs, built on organic Fair Trade acai puree with organic cane sugar and guarana extract.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Acai
Top Acai manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Acai is a conventional food in the United States and pulp, powder and juice are used without a specific food additive clearance, with extracts also sold as dietary ingredients. Imported pulp is subject to the preventive controls and, where it is a juice product, to the juice hazard analysis and critical control point regulation, which requires a validated pathogen reduction step. Acai has also been the subject of enforcement attention over unsubstantiated weight loss and anti-ageing marketing rather than over the ingredient itself, so claim substantiation is the practical exposure.
In the European Union acai pulp and derived products are recognised as having a history of consumption before May 1997 and are used as foods, though preparations produced by unusual processes may require assessment on their own facts. There is no E number, and acai is not authorised as a food colour, so it may be used as a coloured fruit ingredient but not declared as a colouring additive. Health claims relating to antioxidant content are not authorised. Codex has no acai-specific commodity standard; the general standard for fruit juices and nectars and the general provisions on contaminants and hygiene apply.
Manufacturing Process
Fruit is harvested by climbing the palm and cutting the bunches, then transported quickly to the processing plant, because acai deteriorates within a day of picking. At the plant the fruit is washed, sanitised and softened in warm water, which loosens the thin layer of flesh from the hard seed. It is then depulped mechanically in a machine that abrades the flesh from the seed against a screen while water is added, and the seed, which is most of the harvested weight, is separated and diverted to fuel, substrate or oil recovery.
The resulting pulp is screened to remove fibre and skin fragments, standardised to the target solids by adding or removing water, and pasteurised, a step that is not optional given the food safety history of this commodity. It is then either frozen directly in blocks or pouches, or taken forward to drying. Spray drying is carried out with maltodextrin as a carrier at a controlled outlet temperature, since the fat content makes the powder prone to sticking; freeze drying is used where a carrier-free powder with higher anthocyanin retention is wanted. Standardised extracts are made separately by extracting pulp or powder with acidified aqueous ethanol, enriching the anthocyanins over adsorption resin, concentrating under vacuum and spray drying. Powder is sieved and packed under nitrogen away from light.
