 Myrciaria dubia, commonly known as Camu camu, Camucamu, Cacari, and
Camocamo, is a small (approx. 3-5 m tall) bushy riverside tree from
the Amazon rainforest vegetation in Peru and Brazil, which bears a
red/purple cherry-like fruit. Its small flowers have waxy white
petals and a sweet-smelling aroma. It has bushy feathery foliage.
The evergreen, opposite leaves are lanceolate to elliptic.
Individual leaves are 3 – 20 cm in length and 1 – 2 cm wide. By
unsubstantiated inference from its content of phytochemicals and
vitamin C levels, camu camu may offer astringent, antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiviral, emollient and nutritive
properties.
It is a close relative of the Jaboticaba (Myrciaria
cauliflora) and the Guavaberry or Rumberry (Myrciaria floribunda).
Description
Camu camu is used mainly for its edible fruits. The tree occurs
in locally dense populations (1000/ha) or even monospecific stands
in Amazonian flood plains and riparian vegetation. The plant is
extremely tolerant of flooding, withstanding 4 to 5 months with the
roots and even much of the aerial parts submerged in water. The
species propagates through botanical seeds. In cultivation, the tree
begins bearing fruits after attaining 2 cm in stem girth (three
years after emergence of the seedling). Harvests are seasonal and
occur once per year, in synchrony with the annual cycle of
precipitation. Plants flower at the end of the dry season and fruit
at the peak of the rainy season. Observations with both wild and
cultivated plants suggest that trees can remain productive for
several decades.
Wild trees have been found to yield 12 kg of fruit on average. At
suggested planting densities of 600-1100 trees/ha, about 12 t fruit
can be derived in cultivation from one hectare. However, with
improved horticultural techniques, such as the use of clonal elite
material, pruning and fertilization, much higher yields could be
achieved. The current range of Camu camu comprises the Amazonian
lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. The
distribution of Camu camu extends from the center of Pará state,
Brazil, along the mid and upper Amazon River to the eastern part of
Peru; in the north it appears in the Casiquiare and the upper and
middle Orinoco River. In Brazil it is found in Rondônia along the
Maçangana and Urupa Rivers and in Amazonas, in the municipalities of
Manaus and Manacapuru and along the Javarí, Madeira and Negro
Rivers.
Long used by native peoples, wild Camu camu is harvested directly
into canoes. The fruit has only recently come into large-scale
cultivation and sale to the world market with Japan being the major
buyer. It is relatively easy to cultivate. It survives best in hot,
damp tropical climates but will grow in the subtropics, surviving
temperatures down to just above freezing. It requires copious water
and withstands flooding. Trees begin to bear fruit after about 4 to
6 years.
Uses
Documentation of traditional Camu camu uses is scarce. It is
unlikely that in traditional Amazonian societies Camu camu has ever
been nutritionally relevant. The fruit is extremely acidic, and the
flavour can only be appreciated in recipes requiring a blender,
dilution in milk/water and the addition of sugar.
Camu camu has an extraordinarily high Vitamin C content (in the
order of 2-3% of fresh weight, second only to the Australian native
Terminalia ferdinandiana) and is the most important property of the
Camu camu fruit, which has been exploited consistently in
positioning Camu camu on international markets. Vitamin C content
declines as full maturity is reached, and there is a trade-off
between Vitamin C and flavour expression. As a myrtaceous fruit,
Camu camu most likely provides other nutritional benefits, but these
are less understood and communicated to consumers.
Camu camu has also a unique aroma and fruit pigmentation. A
reddish pigment in the leathery skin (probably anthocyanins) imparts
an attractive and unique pink color on juices extracted from Camu
Camu. The aroma is subtle, but is not as captivating as in more
popular fruits. Camu Camu is more recently also used in ice creams,
sweets, etc.
Processed powder from the fruit pulp is beginning to be sold in
the west as a health food in loose powder or capsule form. In
addition to the high Vitamin C content it contains the amino acids
valine, leucine and serine.
It is also rich in flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, flavonols
and flavanols, catechins, delphinidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin
3-glucoside, ellagic acid and rutin; other analysis revealed the
presence of gallic and ellagic acids, suggesting that camu camu
fruit possesses hydrolysed tannins (gallo- and/or ellagitannins) |
