Though the acai berry is becoming more well known as the most recent superfood, there are many things about it that people don’t know or understand. It has incredible capabilities as a diet supplement as well as a nutritious and good tasting juice. One of the key benefits of the acai berry is the high level of antioxidants it contains. But what are antioxidants, exacty?
First of all, understanding what antioxidants are in the chemical sense, might help most people understand why it’s so important. Antioxidants prevent or retard the process of oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a reaction of electrons that damages cells by creating free radicals. Antioxidants stop these chain reactions and kill the free radicals. Though oxidants are a part of life, the fact they’re harmful means that many animals and plants have many different antioxidants to help slow down but not destroy the oxidants. Low levels of antioxidants can cause oxidative stress which plays a role in many human ailments such as strokes and neurodegenerative diseases. It is not, however, completely certain that oxidative stress is the cause of it and as research advances, the clear truth might be definite in the future.
Though antioxidants are crucial, there isn’t a straightforward process for measuring it in fruits and vegetables. There are many groups of compounds with differing reactions to other reactive oxygen species. In current science, researchers use the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) system to measure antioxidant strength. Some of the compounds that are measured include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Polyphenolic antioxidants, and Carotenoids (lycopene, carotenes).
In the case of foods, especially the acai berry, antioxidants are also used as a food additive. It helps preserve and slow down food deterioration. Many people are aware that sealing certain fruits and vegetables and keeping them in the dark or coating them in wax, such as with cucumbers, is a good way to keep them fresh. However, oxygen is necessary for food respiration. Certain preservatives are then used to help keep foods fresh, but also let them respire. Oxidation still occurs, but food stays fresh longer. Oxidants attack unsaturated fats, which cause them to become rancid. It usually causes a change in color and a metallic or rotten egg tasting flavor. So oxidation in fatty foods should be avoided as much as possible. This usually occurs in meats. However, because oxidation still happens in fruits and vegetables, most are sprayed with sulfurous antioxidants and then dried with air to help delay the process of decay.
Being as antioxidants are very important for slowing down the effects of anything from aging to maintaining major systems of the body, people are becoming more interested in different foods that contain higher levels of it. Acai is no exception and in fact, contains 10-30 times the amount of anthocyanins (which is a very powerful antiocidant) than are contained in red wine. As this article has proven, antioxidants play a vital role in the human body. Research is on-going on the acai berry, more information is being revealed about its many benefits and the acai may one day be a valuable asset to cancer victims.
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