Acerola cherry
Acerola is the small red fruit of Malpighia emarginata (also traded as Malpighia glabra), a shrub grown mainly in Brazil and the Caribbean. The fruit is juiced, the juice is concentrated, and it is spray-dried with a carrier or freeze-dried into a powder. Brands buy acerola powder mostly as a natural source of vitamin C, sold at a declared vitamin C percentage that depends on concentration and carrier level.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Concentrated juice dried on a carrier such as maltodextrin. The most common commercial form, sold by declared vitamin C percentage.
Whole fruit or pulp dried without a carrier. Lower vitamin C per gram than concentrated grades but fewer added solids.
Frozen or aseptic concentrate for beverages and gummies, sold by Brix and vitamin C content.
Powder or concentrate from certified organic orchards, with the organic certificate tied to the lot.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Store powder sealed in lined, light-proof containers below about 25 °C and away from humidity. Vitamin C degrades with heat, light, oxygen and moisture, and the powder cakes once it picks up water, so reseal opened containers quickly. Suppliers set shelf life or a retest date, usually confirmed by repeating the vitamin C assay.
Vitamin C content depends on fruit ripeness, concentration and carrier ratio, so confirm each lot against the label claim. Record supplier lot, declared percentage and carrier, and use older lots first because vitamin C declines in storage.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
A Health Canada multi-ingredient natural health product monograph lists Malpighia emarginata (acerola, West Indian-cherry) with the dried or fresh fruit as the source part.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Malpighia glabra (POL-NF-00489) concerns only the berries and lists them as not novel in food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · Kerrville, TX
Sells it as PurC
Applied Food Sciences is a Texas bulk ingredient company that sells branded botanical extracts, including green coffee, green tea, ginseng, ginger, turmeric, acerola and lion's mane, to food, drink and supplement makers only.
Manufacturer · Rouen, France
Nexira is a French family-owned maker of acacia gum, other natural gums and plant extract powders, including acerola, baobab, guarana, ginseng and mushroom extracts, for food, drink and supplement companies.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include spray-dried juice powder, freeze-dried fruit powder, juice concentrate and organic. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect vitamin C assay (HPLC or titration), identity, heavy metals, microbiology and physical tests, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Store powder sealed in lined, light-proof containers below about 25 °C and away from humidity. Vitamin C degrades with heat, light, oxygen and moisture, and the powder cakes once it picks up water, so reseal opened containers quickly. Suppliers set shelf life or a retest date, usually confirmed by repeating the vitamin C assay.
A Health Canada multi-ingredient natural health product monograph lists Malpighia emarginata (acerola, West Indian-cherry) with the dried or fresh fruit as the source part. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Malpighia glabra (POL-NF-00489) concerns only the berries and lists them as not novel in food.
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