Fruits
Acerola in gelato
Acerola (Malpighia emarginata), the West Indian or Barbados cherry, is a small tart tropical fruit famous for extreme vitamin C content. In gelato it is a low-sugar, high-acid purée used to build vivid, sharp-fruit sorbetto flavor.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 8.6% |
| Water | 91.4% |
| Sugars | 5% |
| Fat | 0.3% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.6% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 6 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 9.5 |
Typical use: 25-35% of the total sorbetto mix as strained purée
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Acerola is used as a strained purée in fruit sorbetto rather than dairy gelato. Because it carries only ~5 g sugar per 100 g yet a glucose-and-fructose-dominant profile, its own anti-freezing power (PAC ~9.5) is modest and its sweetening power (POD ~6) is low, so you must add most of the sugar and PAC from the recipe's sugar blend. Its pronounced malic-acid tartness needs balancing sweetness; pairing dextrose or inverted sugar lifts PAC and scoopability without over-sweetening. Expect a soft, well-scoopable texture from the added sugars, not from the fruit itself.
Origin & background
Native to the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America, acerola was thrust into commercial cultivation after 1945, when researchers at the University of Puerto Rico Agricultural Experiment Station documented its exceptionally high ascorbic acid content (USDA lists ~1678 mg vitamin C per 100 g, among the richest of any fruit). Brazil is today the leading producer, mostly for juice and vitamin-C extract.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171686/nutrients (USDA FoodData Central - Acerola, (west indian cherry), raw: water 91.41 g, carbohydrate 7.69 g, fiber 1.1 g, protein 0.40 g, fat 0.30 g, vitamin C 1677.6 mg per 100 g)
- https://www.tbca.net.br/base-dados/int_composicao_alimentos.php?cod_produto=BRC0004C (TBCA-USP - Acerola, madura, polpa: carbohydrate ~8.0 g, protein ~0.9 g, fat ~0.2 g, fiber ~1.5 g per 100 g)
- https://natureclaim.com/nutrition/info/acerola/ (NatureClaim, USDA-derived: water 91.41 g, carbohydrate 7.69 g, protein 0.40 g, fat 0.30 g, fiber 1.10 g)
- https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Acerola,_raw,_(west_indian_cherry)_nutritional_value.html (water 91.4 g, carbohydrate 7.7 g, protein 0.4 g, fat 0.3 g, fiber 1.1 g per 100 g)
- https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrition-facts/171687/wt1 (USDA acerola juice, raw: total sugars 4.50 g per 100 g, supporting the low free-sugar profile of the fruit)