FAQ: Tart Cherries & Acerola Berries

Description

Z Natural Foods is committed to offering our customers a diverse selection of high-quality foods in their most versatile forms. 

Our Organic Freeze-dried Acerola (Ripe and Unripe) and Tart Cherry Powders are a prime example of our commitment to quality. 

Today, I aim to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the similarities, differences, and what makes them a match made in heaven. Our goal is to ensure you have all the information you need to make informed choices about your food supplements. 

So, let’s begin.  

1) What is the difference between ripe and unripe acerola berries?

You may be surprised to learn that many unripe fruits provide a unique profile of compounds you may not find in the ripened version. Acerola is an excellent example of this unique phenomenon, with fantastic qualities, especially in the unripe stage. It has always been believed that a perfectly ripe acerola berry is the stage of peak nourishment, but what we have recently learned very well may debunk this theory. 

As with all fruits, acerola cherries mature and progress through the various stages of ripeness, and their constituent concentrations change and adapt. The unripe green acerola cherry contains about three times the vitamin C content of the ripe version. Acerola cherries are often harvested when they are green, which is when their vitamin C is at its peak (around 4500 vs 1700 milligrams per 100 grams of fresh acerola). 

As acerola cherries ripen, they are highly perishable and susceptible to damage and mold. Therefore, they should be eaten within 24 to 48 hours or processed into a juice or powder shortly after that. 

The general ripening stages and polyphenol levels are as follows. This process takes between 3 and 4 weeks. 

• Stage 1: In this stage, the cherries are fully green, firm, and high in acidity and vitamin C. This is the stage with the highest total phenolic content, including gentisic and vanillic acids.
• Stage 2: During this transition period, the color changes from green to orange to red, and it begins to soften slightly. During this stage, phenols start to degrade, and the accumulation of carotenoids and the synthesis of anthocyanins begin.
• Stage 3: In this stage, the cherries are bright red, with high sugar content, low acidity, high anthocyanin content, and vitamin C peaks.   
• Stage 4: In this final stage, the cherries are dark red and overripe, have a soft texture, and declining vitamin C levels. 

In simple terms, as acerola cherries ripen, phenolic acids, flavonols (quercetin and rutin), and proanthocyanins (catechin and epicatechin) decrease, while carotenoids, flavones, and anthocyanins increase. 

2) It is well known that acerola is an excellent source of vitamin C. However, what is the difference between the vitamin C found in acerola and ascorbic acid?

There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about the various forms of Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid, Buffered, Liposomal, and Ascorbyl palmitate) regarding absorption, plasma levels, and bioavailability. So, let’s get some clarity on this topic. 

• First, all Vitamin C, aka L-Ascorbic Acid, whether derived from a whole-food matrix or from synthetic sources, is chemically identical, with no known differences in biological activity. Therefore, L-Ascorbic Acid and Ascorbic Acid are the same thing. 
• Next, buffered (with minerals), liposomal (encased in fat), and ascorbyl palmitate (both fat- and water-soluble components) provide no extra benefit specifically for Vitamin C utilization beyond being slightly less acidic in the digestive system. 
• Finally, Ascorbyl Palmitate contains water and fat-soluble components, but the digestive system essentially strips away the fat-soluble part to derive the pure ascorbic acid.  

A review titled Synthetic or Food-Derived Vitamin C- Are they equally Bioavailable? It was stated,  

• “All steady-state comparative bioavailability studies in humans have shown no differences between synthetic and natural vitamin C, regardless of the subject population, study design, or intervention used. 
• Some human pharmacokinetic studies have shown transient, slight differences between synthetic and natural vitamin C, although these differences are likely to have minimal physiological impact. 

3) What is the purpose of using vitamin C?

While L-Ascorbic Acid has many functions like 

• Antioxidant protection
• Iron Absorption 
• Involved in creating neurotransmitters
• Supporting the regeneration of other antioxidants
• A key component in collagen synthesis
• Supports the body’s elimination channels

Perhaps what vitamin C is most well known for is its ability to support a healthy immune system response through various mechanisms of action. 

• Protects against oxidative stress: This concept is defined as an imbalance between free radicals (unstable molecules) and antioxidants in the body. The presence of Vitamin C is necessary for immune cells to operate in high-stress environments.  
• Maintaining the integrity of our barrier, aka skin: Vitamin C is critical for supporting endothelial and epithelial barriers, which act as our first line of defense against pathogens.  
• Supports adaptive immunity: This is the body's specific defense system that learns to recognize and remember pathogens, providing long-lasting protection. Vitamin C supports the maturing, expansion, and function of B cells and T cells. Furthermore, Vitamin C is necessary for antibody production.
• Enhances Innate immunity: This is the body’s first line of defense and a nonspecific response. Within this nonspecific response, Vitamin C increases neutrophil migration to the site of an infection to destroy microbes. Vitamin C also facilitates apoptosis (programmed cell death of unneeded or abnormal cells) in exhausted neutrophils, allowing macrophages to clear them and helping prevent excessive tissue damage.

4) How do Tart Cherries differ from Sweet Cherries?

From what we understand, what makes tart cherries more potent than sweet cherries comes down to two aspects. 

According to the Department of Agriculture, sour cherries are 30 percent higher in polyphenols, and their primary anthocyanin is cyanidin 3-glucosylrutinoside, which is known to support a healthy inflammatory response. However, don’t rule out sweet cherries' potent, nourishing kick, as they contain an average of 300% more total anthocyanins.  

5) What are the benefits of Tart Cherries?

Foods rich in polyphenolic compounds and antioxidants have been proven to significantly benefit a wide range of issues by modulating specific mechanisms of action, and tart cherries are no exception. While tart cherries offer a wide range of benefits, they are best known for their potential to modulate the inflammation cascade. Essentially, tart cherries have been shown to do the following. 

• It suppresses nuclear factor-kappaB, a protein complex that activates genes that promote inflammation. This is the initial trigger in the inflammation cascade. 
• It inhibits COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes.
• It suppresses IL-6 and acts as both a pro- and anti-inflammatory.
• It downregulates genes involved in the inflammation process. 
• It lowers uric acid levels.

Furthermore, studies suggest that tart cherries may prevent gout attacks by lowering serum uric acid levels. It is believed that the mechanism of action that contributes to these specific results is the inhibition of XO (Xanthine oxidase, an enzyme required to produce uric acid) or increased renal clearance. 

6) What are some of the benefits of combining tart cherries and acerola?

Acerola berries and tart cherries are outstanding choices to help raise your flavonoid levels. Furthermore, combining the unique nutrient density of acerola berries, vitamin C with their naturally occurring cofactors, and the inflammatory-modulating effects of tart cherries, provided by their uniquely high anthocyanin levels (cyanidin-3-glucosylrutinoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside), provides a unique full-spectrum impact. 

Furthermore, by having a wider array of these plant foods in your diet, you create a more diverse microbiome. Having a diverse microbiome supports robust digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune system regulation, while also making it harder for harmful pathogens to thrive. 

Conversely, a lack of diversity is associated with a higher risk of gut conditions and conditions that fall under the “metabolic syndrome” umbrella. The gut microbiome works with the immune system to prevent overreacting to harmless substances, helping reduce inflammation and maintain overall immune balance.

7) Are there benefits to combining standard vitamin C supplements with acerola?

When you consume food sources of L-Ascorbic Acid, like acerola, in addition to your vitamin C supplements, what you get is a wide array of polyphenolic compounds that influence various mechanisms of action and provide protection well beyond what you get from just vitamin C. I call this the whole-food-matrix effect because no single compound works interdependently within the complex. 

This is why all of the current “plant poison” theories have been debunked many times over. It is straightforward; you can’t isolate a compound from a food, concentrate it 10 to 100 times, inject it into an animal, and report how foods with that said compound are bad for you, dangerous, or, my favorite term to scare people, poisonous. If you can show me one food that naturally contains lectin levels that high, I will retract my statement.   

Many health experts believe a diet rich in flavonoids is critical to supporting a healthy aging process, as these compounds are known as nature’s biological response modifiers. There are over 8,000 different types of flavonoids found in nature. Based on the research, it does not seem to matter if you acquire them from food or supplements; what counts is the total daily amount you consume. 

These experts believe we should consume at least 2000 milligrams of flavonoids daily, sourced from various foods and supplements. Acerola is an outstanding choice to help raise your flavonoid levels. 

8) Is there a “perfect” vitamin C blend?

The goal when consuming vitamin C as a supplement or from food is to ensure a consistent supply in your blood so it can do its job efficiently. That said, combining multiple sources seems to yield the best results for utilization and overall effect. As stated above, there is no difference regarding ascorbic acid's function and utilization regardless of whether it is from food or an isolated compound. 

Therefore, using ascorbic acid as your base for a vitamin C formula, along with food sources like acerola and tart cherries for the anti-inflammatory effects, will certainly support all of vitamin C’s mechanisms of action. So, in simple terms, the answer to whether there is a perfect vitamin C blend is yes. 

Much like an herbal formula, creating an effective vitamin C blend is about bringing together all the aspects that support its utilization, including primary and secondary mechanisms of action.   

9) Has nutritional science identified the specific compound in tart cherries that supports a healthy inflammation response?

As I have discussed in many previous articles, when you look at foods and herbs, it is never a single specific compound that is responsible for a well-balanced end result. The well-balanced results people often obtain from food and herbs are because all of the compounds are working together to support the end result and prevent the “pharmaceutical effect.” 

We have seen time and time again how isolating a compound from an herb creates an imbalanced herbal product with negative consequences. For example, in the 1990s, taking the herb Ma Haung and isolating its ephedrine alkaloid turned a safe, significantly effective herb into a disaster. 

Mother Nature created that plant the way it did for a good reason. With that said, substantial evidence indicates that the inflammatory-modulating effects of tart cherries are due to their uniquely high anthocyanin levels (specifically cyanidin-3-glucosylrutinoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside).

10) What are some of tart cherry’s lesser-known benefits?

It is safe to say that the vast majority of benefits from consuming tart cherries are linked to their ability to support a healthy systemic inflammation response. However, one of the lesser-spoken-about benefits is for the cardiovascular system. 

The high levels of phenolic compounds like anthocyanins have been shown to lower LDL and systolic blood pressure.  Furthermore, through preliminary studies, there is excellent potential for their ability to support healthy insulin levels and affect genes related to fat storage, which may reduce belly fat.

The following was stated in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of tart cherry juice on systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in older adults. 

• In this randomized-controlled clinical trial, 17 men and 20 women aged 65-80 years were randomly assigned to consume 480 ml of tart cherry juice or a control drink daily for 12 weeks. 
• Systolic BP and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) exhibited treatment × time interaction effects. 
• At the end of the study, participants in the tart cherry group had lower levels of LDL cholesterol (difference of -20.6 with P = 0.001) and total cholesterol (difference of -19.11 with P = 0.01), and higher levels of glucose (difference of 7.94 with P = 0.001), triglycerides (difference of 6.66 with P = 0.01) and BMI (difference of 1.06 with P = 0.02) than in the control group. 
• Neither tart cherry juice nor control significantly altered body weight, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diastolic BP, insulin, and HOMA-IR. 

Therefore, it was concluded that tart cherry juice can lower systolic BP and LDL cholesterol levels.

For more information about our Organic Freeze Dried Acerola Cherry Powder, go here: Acerola Cherry Powder - Organic Freeze Dried

For more information about our Organic Freeze Dried Acerola Cherry Unripe Powder, go here: Acerola Cherry Unripe Powder - Organic Freeze Dried

For more information about our Freeze Dried Tart Cherry Powder: Tart Cherry Powder - Freeze Dried

For more information about our Organic Tart Cherry Juice Powder, go here: Tart Cherry Juice Powder - Organic

The Author’s Bio
Michael Stuchiner is a Master Herbalist and proud graduate of The School of Natural Healing and has worked in different areas of this field for over 25 years. He is a retired elite-level powerlifter who competed for 27 years. As an avid international traveler, he is passionate about the use of medicinal and tonic herbs, as well as foods traditionally found in local markets in the 35 countries he has visited. Michael brings you his years of experience as a Master Herbalist, traveler, and athlete through the hundreds of articles he has written and his YouTube channel (A Master Herbalist Perspective). He is considered a true educator in this field. For more articles written by Mike, go here: Master Herbalist.