Know2eat

Acerola

Malpighia emarginata

What acerola has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About acerola

A small red tropical drupe from a shrub grown across the Caribbean and northern South America. Among the most concentrated natural sources of ascorbic acid measured, which is why most of the crop is processed into vitamin C powder rather than sold fresh.

Also known as West Indian cherry, Barbados cherry, Acerola cherry

Antioxidant & Oxidative StressImmune Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Oxidative stress markers

Antioxidant & Oxidative Stress
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited for an effect of acerola on human oxidative-stress markers. A handful of small trials of acerola juice or powder report changes in antioxidant status, and they are too few and too short to establish anything.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Immune function

Immune Health
Insufficient evidence

Acerola is sold almost entirely on its vitamin C content, but human research on eating the fruit and any immune outcome is essentially absent. What is established concerns vitamin C status generally, not this fruit specifically.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Acerola

Ask about Acerola

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories32 kcal2%
Protein0.4 g1%
Total fat0.3 g0%
Carbohydrate7.69 g3%
Fibre1.1 g4%
Water91.4 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.068 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.082 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.09 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.046 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A38 µg4%
Vitamin C1678 mg1864%
Thiamin (B1)0.02 mg2%
Riboflavin (B2)0.06 mg5%
Niacin (B3)0.4 mg3%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.309 mg6%
Vitamin B60.0090 mg1%
Folate14 µg4%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium12 mg1%
Iron0.2 mg1%
Magnesium18 mg4%
Phosphorus11 mg1%
Potassium146 mg3%
Sodium7 mg0%
Zinc0.1 mg1%
Copper0.086 mg10%
Selenium0.6 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Ash0.2 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Acerola, (west indian cherry), raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171686).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedReduces vitamin C

    Ascorbic acid is heat-labile and oxidises readily once the fruit is cut. Juicing, pasteurising and drying all remove a substantial share of what the fresh fruit held.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Very large ascorbate loads upset the gut

    Because the ascorbate concentration is so high, a large serving of fresh fruit or a heaped scoop of acerola powder can deliver several grams of vitamin C at once. Above roughly two grams in a sitting, osmotic diarrhoea, cramping and nausea are commonly reported.

  • Worth knowing

    Ascorbate raises urinary oxalate

    Some ingested ascorbic acid is metabolised to oxalate and excreted in urine. People with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones are usually advised to avoid habitual gram-level vitamin C intakes, which concentrated acerola products can easily reach.

  • Allergy

    Latex cross-reactivity has been reported

    Isolated case reports describe acerola reactions in people with natural rubber latex allergy. The evidence is thin, but anyone with known latex-fruit syndrome has reason to try it cautiously.