As mentioned in our last post, there is a huge difference between an Acai Puree and an Acai Juice. The short and long of the matter is that acai puree is a far superior product, supplying much more of exactly the nutrients and goodness that brought you to acai in the first place. Acai juices might have their place as a nice-tasting. thirst-quenching drink, but they are leagues behind the puree products when it comes to ’superfood’ status.

In this short article we are going to examine some of the fillers used by the companies making acai juices to bulk up the product. These fillers are added because they are cheaper and easier to look after than acai puree.

Fruit Juices

Many products contain a mixture of fruit juices along with the acai that we expect. These fruit juices can certainly give the product a delicious taste, but as noted earlier they clearly reduce the amount of acai that’s in there. This is not something that we want, and it’s certainly not something that makes the drink better value for money for us. Fruit juices are cheaper to prepare than acai, and they keep better, so this is a clear and easy winner for the manufacturers; clearly a loss for the rest of us.

Green Tea

I’ve seen some products on the market that actually boast about their containing lots of green tea. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love drinking green tea, and I think it probably does me some good. But do I want that mixed in with my acai? No, not really. If I pay for acai then I want acai, not green tea!

Hypromellose

Hypromellose is an additive that is contained in many foodstuffs; it appears in a ingredients lists for acai products, too, since it allows a time delayed release of certain nutrients into the body. Naturally its presence reduces the amount of acai that is being provided in the product, thus decreasing the value to the consumer and increasing the profit margins for the companies that produce them. One thing to bear in mind: hypromellose is used in tile adhesives as well as in foods!

The chemical name for Hypromellose is Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose. Which, I’m sure you’ll agree, just sounds nasty.

Conclusion

Watch what you are buying. Some products may appear on the face of it to be better value for money, but it really depends on how much acai you are getting; bigger does not always mean better, and cheap hardly ever means better. Armed with some of the common fillers noted above you should be able to spot an impostor from a true puree quickly and efficiently.

Acai is worth the money companies are currently charging for it, but spend wisely!

Spending some time in any industry will give you an insight into what some companies will do to achieve the following goals:

1. Make their products cheaper to make
2. Make their products appear to be better value

With the less honest companies — and I include in this most of the larger ones — those two goals can be achieved simply with a little deception. As the intuitive reader will probably guess, the very same is true in the Acai industry.

One of the more frequently encountered deceptions involves playing on the misunderstanding of the concepts of an acai Juice and an acai Puree. The two get confused easily, and companies work hard to make you think that they’re selling a puree rather than a juice. The thing is, though, that there is a huge difference between the two, both in terms of benefits for you the customer, and in price of production for those making and selling it.

The long and the short of the matter is this: many people are unknowingly paying over the odds for substandard products. A little bit of education and knowing some of the basic facts will go a long way to making sure you buy and receive exactly what you want.

The Main Difference

A puree is something that is made directly from the source material. In the case of acai, the puree is made directly from pureed acai berries. It’s as simple as that.

A juice, on the other hand, can take many guises. Acai juices could range from watered-down purees to acai berries that have been reduced to powdered form through the process of drum drying, then re-hydrated later with water. Doesn’t sound so wholesome? It isn’t. And that’s before we get into the discussion of why drum drying acai berries do the antioxidants and other nutrients in them no good whatsoever.

The ‘hot bottling’ method used with real purees preserves much more of the fiber, Omega 3,6 and 9 fats, as well as those vital antioxidants. As it’s most likely these ingredients that brought you to acai in the first place, it makes sense to buy a product that still contains them!

A Rule Of Thumb

Generally, the thicker the puree, the more ‘real’ acai it has in it. Of course this isn’t always the case, but when you try a bottle of puree directly after a bottle of watered-down and powdered juice, you will have a difficult time putting your hand on your heart and telling me that the juice tastes more wholesome. Some of the supermarket acai brand acai juices contain as little as 10 or 20% acai in the finished bottled product. Compare this with something like Acai Zone or Amazon Thunder purees which are 100% pure acai, and there’s no competition.

Why Do They Do It?

As I briefly mentioned earlier the supermarkets like to sell the cheapest items for as much as they can. Drum dried acai is cheaper to produce; powdered acai is much easier to store and transport (purees just wouldn’t last the 12-18 months required of its stock for many of the larger chains; and they can also add cheaper mixers that continue to bring the price down. Actually some of these mixers can make the acai juice taste more like a pleasant soft drink than a health product, so it appeals to a wider audience too. Does this mean that it is better for you than a puree? Absolutely not.

The Conclusion

You’ve probably guessed the advised position on this: buy 100% acai puree rather than a juice alternative. Look at the ingredients list before you buy, and don’t settle for anything less. Online acai distributors can get purees to you in just a 2 or 3 days in many cases; is that too long to wait for an authentic product?