Are you
interested in trying Acai Berry juice but don’t know where
to start? Use these 9 tips to help you find the correct Acai
juice to buy:
1. Buy
USDA Organic Certified Acai:
Companies that have gone through the USDA Organic certification
process ensure customers they are buying an Acai product that
has been produced, processed, and certified to be consistent
with national organic standards.
2. Avoid
Added Sugar:
A great way to determine the quality of the Acai juice is to
look for added sugar. You want to buy 100% pure Acai juice,
not something that has been watered down with preservatives
along with lots of added sugar. The added sugar to the juice
can lower the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) levels,
which is the cause of the high concentration of antioxidants.
3. Avoid Added Preservatives:
Similar to added sugar, you want to buy Acai juice that does
not contain any added preservatives. While preservatives sound
good in theory, most companies use low cost preservatives that
are more of a chemical compound than anything natural. The benefits
of the Acai berry can be canceled out by the preservatives that
are added to the product.
4. Acai
Juice Bottled in Glass is Best:
It’s always better to buy Acai juice that is packaged in
a glass vs. a plastic bottle. Acai pulp juice packaged in a
plastic bottle can have plastic leeching – a process that
causes. The only Acai product that can be placed in a plastic
bottle would be loose powder form of Acai.
5. Purchase
Only Unfiltered Acai:
When buying any type of fruit juice that has been pressed from
pulp, you want to get as much of the core fruit as possible.
Low end companies will often try to filter to Acai berry and
add water in order to make more product from the same harvest.
This filtered juice lowers the Acai pulp, which contains many
of the helpful antioxidants.
6. Look
for Thick Acai Juice:
Good unfiltered Acai juice is very thick and chunky containing
lots of Acai pulp. If your juice is more of a liquid form, then
it has probably had water added eliminating much of the needed
antioxidants.
7. Look
for Acai Juice with High ORAC Levels:
Purchase Acai juice that has at 3000 ORACs per one ounce serving.
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a method of measuring
antioxidant capacities of different foods. Companies that produce
good quality Acai will naturally have high ORAC levels and therefore
will promote the levels on the label. If the Acai product you
are buying does not mention the ORAC levels, it probably is
because the ACAI has been watered down and the ORAC levels are
low.
8. Is
Your Acai Juice Sold in Retail Stores?
The biggest and largest Acai juice providers are real companies
that sell their product in stores. The grocery or health chains
have researched the company and know their product is a valid
and real product. Many of the low end providers are online marketing
companies and only sell their product online via some form of
free trial subscription. Once you sign up for your free trial,
you suddenly find yourself being charged for many different
products that are sent to your house each month.
9. Acai
Should Be Pasteurized:
Pasteurization is a needed process for fruit juices in order
to kill off micros and bacteria that are naturally produced
as the juice is stored. As with all juices, Acai is no different
and has to be pasteurized. When pasteurization is done correctly
at the right temperatures, the acai will remain unharmed and
all the high levels of antioxidants will remain in tact.
For more information on the Acai berry and Acai juice, check
out Acai.org.
