The following information can be found at http://nfscfaculty.tamu.edu

A quick word about Mona Vie: Dr. Talcott does not conduct research for (and never has), endorse, or otherwise make recommendations about Mona Vie products.
Please contact this company directly if you have questions, concerns, or other issues with this product.

            Regarding the August 24, 2007 article by Fortune writer Tim Arango: Dr. Talcott did not grant Mr. Arango an interview for this piece and the opinions expressed in the story are solely those of Fortune Magazine and Tim Arango.

Background on Açai
Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is a palm plant widely distributed in northern South America with its greatest occurrence and economic importance in the floodplains of the Brazilian Amazon. Açai is a slender, multi-stemmed, monoecious palm that can reach a height of over 30 meters. A wide variety of marketable products are produced from this palm, but the spherical fruits that are mainly harvested from July to December are its most important edible product. Each palm tree produces from 3 to 4 bunches of fruit, each bunch having from 3-6 kg of fruit. The round-shaped fruits appear in green clusters when immature and ripen to a dark, purple colored fruit that ranges from 1.0-1.5 cm in diameter. The seed accounts for most of the fruit size and is covered by thin fibrous fibers under which is a small edible layer. A viscous juice is typically prepared by macerating the edible pulp that is approximately 2.4% protein and 5.9% lipid (3). The juice is currently used to produce energetic snack beverages, ice cream, jelly, liqueur, and is commonly blended with a variety of other juices.

Phytochemistry of Açai
Del Pozo-Insfran, D., Brenes, C.H., Talcott, S.T. 2004. Phytochemical Composition and Pigment Stability of Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, 1539-1545.

Anthocyanin and polyphenolic compounds present in açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) were determined and their respective contribution to the overall antioxidant capacity established. Color stability of açai anthocyanins against hydrogen peroxide (0 and 30 mmol/L) over a range of temperatures (10-30 °C) was also determined and compared to common anthocyanin sources. Additionally, stability in a model beverage system was evaluated in the presence of ascorbic acid and naturally occurring polyphenolic cofactors. Cyanidin 3-glucoside (1,040 mg/L) was the predominant anthocyanin in açai and correlated to antioxidant content, while 16 other polyphenolics were detected from 4-212 mg/L. Red grape anthocyanins were most stable in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, while açai and pigments rich in acylated anthocyanins displayed lower color stability in a temperature-dependent manner. In the presence of ascorbic acid, acylated anthocyanin sources generally had increased color stability. Açai was recognized for its functional properties for use in food and nutraceutical products.

Health Benefits of Açai
Del Pozo-Insfran, D., Percival, S.S., Talcott, S.T. 2006. Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) polyphenolics in their glycosidic and alycone forms induce apopotsis of HL-60 luekemia cells. J. Agric. Food Chem. 54, 1222-1229.

Consistent evidence supports an association between consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenolics with decreased incidence of certain cancers. Acai, a palm fruit native to South America, was previously determined to contain a diversity of polyphenolics with high antioxidant capacity, yet its bioactive properties have not been investigated. The effects of açai polyphenolics (0-10.7 µM) on the antiproliferation and induction of apoptosis in HL-60 human leukemia cells was investigated. Specific interactions between anthocyanins and polyphenolics in both glycosidic and aglycone forms were investigated to determine additive or synergistic responses. Predominant polyphenolics in açai included cyanidin, ferulic acid, epicatechin, p-hydroxy benzoic acid (1,040, 212, 129, 80.5 mg/L, respectively). Catechin, gallic, protocatechuic, and free ellagic acid were also identified (ca. 60mg/L). Polyphenolic fractions at 10.7 µM were found to reduce cell proliferation up to 86%, and were similar among the isolates except for the isolated polyphenolics (<58%). Polyphenolic and anthocyanin fractions were non-additive in their contribution to the cell anti-proliferation activity with respect to the C18-retained total polyphenolic isolate. Generally at equimolar concentrations, the glycosidic forms induced a higher magnitude of change in vital cell parameters (proliferation and apoptosis) than their respective aglycone forms. This study demonstrated that açai offers a rich source of bioactive polyphenolics with apoptotic activity that also reduced cell proliferation in a model system for cancer. 

Processing Stability of Acai
 Pacheco-Palencia L., Hawkin, P., Talcott, S.T. 2007. Phytochemical, antioxidant and pigment stability of açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) as affected by clarification, ascorbic acid fortification and storage. Food Research International, 40, 620-628.
Açai juice at two clarity stages (semi-clarified and clarified) was compared to 100% açai pulp following ascorbic acid fortification to evaluate phytochemical and antioxidant changes during storage at 4 and 20 °C. Cyanidin-3-rutinoside (202 ± 5.8mg/L) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (75 ± 4.8mg/L) were the predominant anthocyanins in açai while 11 non-anthocyanin polyphenolics were detected in concentrations from 1.1 to 55 mg/L of açai pulp. Clarification of açai pulp resulted in a 27% loss in total polyphenolics (197 ± 6.9 mg gallic acid/100mL) and in a 20% reduction in both total anthocyanins (729 ± 3.4 mg/L) and antioxidant capacity (54 ± 1.7 μmol Trolox equivalents/mL). Anthocyanin degradation followed first order kinetics, with half-lives ranging from 9.4 to 43 days for cyanidin-3-glucoside and from 18 to 82 days for cyanidin-3-rutinoside. Fortification with ascorbic acid accelerated anthocyanin degradation in clarified juice at both storage temperatures, likely due to the loss of polymeric anthocyanin forms (21%) during clarification. Although clarification enhanced the amount of monomeric anthocyanins present in açai juice which relates positively to the aesthetic quality, processing and handling regimes must be optimized to achieve maximum retention of their functional properties during storage.

Ascorbic Acid Fortification of Acai (Good or Bad?)
 Pacheco-Palencia, L., Hawkin, P., Talcott, S.T.  2007. Juice matrix composition and ascorbic acid fortification effects on the phytochemical, antioxidant and pigment stability of açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) In press, Food Chemistry, web release date: March 20, 2007.