Highest natural vitamin C content on earth
Common Name: Camu Camu
Botanical Name: Myrciaria dubia
Growing Area: Amazon Rainforest
General Info: Camu Camu grows mostly in flooded areas of the Amazon rainforest. The shrub grows as high as two to three meters (7 to 10 feet). The fruits are the size of lemons and look light orange in color. Due to its high vitamin C content, Camu Camu has become a widely used ingredient in the dietary supplements and functional foods industries.
Nutrients & Applications: The Camu Camu fruit contains the highest documented quantity of natural vitamin C on earth. An orange provides 500 to 4,000 ppm (parts per million) of vitamin C (or ascorbic acid). Acerola provides up to 172,000 ppm of Vitamin C, which in 1/3 of Camu Camu's record of up to 500,000 ppm. Camu Camu thus has about 2 grams of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit! Compared to oranges, Camu Camu contains 30 times more vitamin C, 3 times more niacin, 10 times more iron, double the amount of riboflavin and 50% more phosphorus. Camu Camu also contains 711 mg of potassium per kg. Its wide range of amino acids and minerals greatly help in the absorption of the vitamin C.
Although the Camu Camu fruit has a sour taste, it has been made into drinks and ice cream products in local growing areas. Camu Camu also contains calcium, beta-carotene, protein, leucine, thiamine, valine and serine. It is believed that Camu Camu can help fight free radicals due to its high antioxidant properties.
