Brazil is raising the profile of an Amazon berry that has the most vitamin C in the world, website Revistagloborural.globo.com reported.

The Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA)  said the camu camu has 60 times the amount of vitamin C of an orange and anthocyanins, which have anti-inflammatory properties.

EMBRAPA researcher Maria Fernanda, said the local population in the Amazon state of Roraima, in the northeast of Brazil, were unaware of the nutritional potential of the fruit and how it could be eaten.

"In Peru, camu-camu is already widely used in the preparation of juices and jams, but in Brazil there is still little research in this area," she was quoted as saying.

The fruit grows in flooded areas along rivers, lakes and streams and has high nutritional potential, although it is not consumed much in Brazil because of its bitter taste.

EMBRAPA researchers have investigated different ways of preparing the fruit to improve the diet of the Roraima people as well as give them the potential to raise revenue.

Photo: Globo.com

www.freshfruitportal.com