Camu-camu, like many other
Amazonian fruits, shows an excellent potential
for health benefit use due to its high vitamin C content. Camu camu is now
available as a dietary supplement however it is not clear at this time what role
it plays in the treatment of specific medical conditions.
It is a small evergreen shrub
native to the Amazonian lowlands and a close relative of the Guavaberry or
Rumberry. The plant reaches heights of 7to10 feet), The camu camu fruits are
round, light orange to purplish colored with yellow pulp and reach about the
size of a lemon. The fruits are sour with a unique aroma. Harvest occurs once
per year by canoe due to the fruits maturing during flooding seasons.
Nutrition content
Nutritional composition and vitamin C stability in
stored camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) pulp.
Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2000.
Camu-camu ( Myrciaria dubia ), a native fruit of the Amazon region, is one of
the richest sources of vitamin C (2.4 to 3.0 g/100 g in the pulp) found in
Brazil. The purpose of this work was the physical-chemical characterization of
some nutrients and the valuation of vitamin C stability in stored camu-camu
pulp, produced by the Agronomic Institute of Parana (IAPAR), Parana State,
Brazil. The vitamin C determination was made by titration with potassium iodate.
The fruit produced in Parana State, presented a lower content of vitamin C than
the one native of the amazon region, possibly due to the different development
conditions of the plant, and consequently of the fruit, as well as the climatic
variation, the humidity and the characteristics of the soil. Regarding the
vitamin C stability in stored (-18 degrees C) camu-camu pulp, a considerable
decrease in its concentration until the 28th day was observed lost 23% (from
1.57 to 1.21 g/100 g), staying approximately the same until the end of the
experiment. After 335 days of storage, the content found was of approximately
1.16 g/100 g of pulp, the ascorbic acid losses amounted to 26%. This content was
still higher than the one found for most fruits that are good sources of this
vitamin.
Availability
Raw material suppliers have camu camu powder and camu camu extracts. One common
extract is a 4 to 1 potency with 20 percent vitamin C. I have also
come across a camu camu extract that purports to have 50 percent ascorbic acid.
Stores sell Camu Camu Juice. Is this a new fruit
juice?
It is relatively new to the United States and will
likely become more popular. There are dozens of healthy fruit juices and camu
camu is one of them.