Acerola, an untapped functional superfruit: a review on latest frontiers.

Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is one of
the richest natural sources of ascorbic acid and contains a
plethora of phytonutrients like carotenoids phenolics,
anthocyanins, and flavonoids. There is an upsurge of
interest in this fruit among the scientific community and
pharmaceutical companies over the last few years. The fruit
contains an exorbitant amount of ascorbic acid in the range
of 1500–4500 mg/100 g, which is around 50–100 times
than that of orange or lemon. Having a reservoir of phytonutrients,
the fruit exhibits high antioxidant capacity and
several interesting biofunctional properties like skin
whitening effect, anti-aging and multidrug resistant reversal
activity. Countries like Brazil, realizing the potential of the
fruit have started to exploit it commercially and have
established a structured agro-industrial based market. In
spite of possessing an enriched nutrient profile with potent
‘‘functional food’’ appeal, acerola is underutilized in large
part of the globe and demands greater attention. A comprehensive
literature analysis was carried out with reference
to the latest frontiers on the compositional characteristics of
the fruit. Emphasis has been given on newer dimensions of
functional aspects of ascorbic acid and allied work and
pectin and pectin methylesterase. The range of nutraceutical
phytonutrients present in acerola and their biofunctional
properties has been discussed. Recent advances in the value
addition of the fruit highlighting the use of techniques like
filtration, encapsulation, ultrasound, sonication, etc. are also
elaborated. Furthermore, the potential use of acerola pulp in
edible films and waste utilization for development of
valuable byproducts has been highlighted.