Euterpe oleracea Mart. (aai): an old known plant with a new perspective

The acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart) fruit pulp is extensively used in Brazil as food among other uses. The health benefits of acai are largely reported by the Amazon inhabitants. Nonetheless, just a few pharmacological and toxicological studies were made to probe the innocuousness and the safety of the use of this product. The aims of this work were to update knowledge about the chemical composition, pharmacological and toxicological studies of the fruits and to identify possible vacuum of knowledge in the use, evaluation, and characterization of E. oleracea Mart (Acai) as a promising Amazon superfruit. It was made a draw out internet revision, especially in databases as NCBI, SCOPUS, PUBMED, SCIELO, and ELSEVIER by using the keywords E. oleracea, acai, nutraceuticals and food supplementations. Also, it was looked for each one of the ethnobotanical uses reported for this plant species combined with the first keywords. A complete record of the chemical composition of this species was achieved. Just two studies in humans were found in the literature using the acai fruit pulp. There is no sufficient systematic evidence to assure that all of the ethnobotanical uses of this species are true. A great emptiness of scientific knowledge related to the real benefits of this plant species exist. There exist neither pharmaceutical forms nor standardized product derived from the acai fruit. Until now, the number of scientific studies that allow the validaton of the ethnopharmacological practices, the innocuousness and the safety of the use of this plant fruit is insufficient. Key words: Euterpe oleracea, acai, nutraceutical, food supplementation.