Acerola Cherry Extract Powder

Despite the name, acerola is not a true cherry: the fruit of the tropical shrub Malpighia emarginata belongs to a different plant family, and it is the starting material for this acerola cherry extract. Water extraction concentrates the soluble fruit fraction of Malpighia emarginata, and the liquor is dried to a red powder.

With 10:1 as its only defining figure, this acerola powder is red, water dispersible and milled to 80 mesh, and it makes no vitamin C claim. The vitamin C-standardized extract, the plain fruit powder and the freeze-dried powder are separate products with their own specifications.

SKU: BOT-BEX-0042 Category: Botanical Extracts Tags: Acerola Cherry, Bars & Bakery, Fruit & Berry, Gummies & Chews, Plant Extracts, Water Extracted

Malpighia emarginata Fruit Identity & Plant Part

The botanical entity is Malpighia emarginata DC., an evergreen shrub of the Malpighiaceae family native to the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America and now widely grown in Brazil. Barbados cherry and West Indian cherry are other English names. The part used is the ripe fruit, a small, bright red drupe with thin skin and juicy, tart flesh. Leaves, flowers and seeds are not included in this acerola cherry extract.

The name misleads twice. Acerola has no botanical link to the sweet and sour cherries of the genus Prunus, and older literature and trade names use Malpighia glabra or Malpighia punicifolia for the same plant, whose accepted name is M. emarginata. Misspelled Latin names also appear in offers, so the species and the part are fixed here.

Acerola Extract vs Powder & Standardized Grade

Form	What It Is	Choose It When
10:1 Acerola Fruit Extract	Water-extracted, concentrated and dried M. emarginata fruit	A dispersible acerola extract without a marker is wanted
Acerola Cherry Extract 17–25% Natural Vitamin C	Standardized extract with a defined vitamin C level	The specification names a vitamin C figure
Acerola Cherry Powder	Dried, milled whole fruit	Whole-fruit fiber and color are wanted
Freeze-Dried Acerola Powder	Whole fruit dried by freeze-drying	Gentle drying and fresh-fruit character matter

Ripeness changes how much ascorbic acid and sugar a given amount of acerola fruit holds, so the same 10:1 ratio can correspond to quite different powders. For acerola cherry extract it is a concentration statement, not a vitamin C statement.

The standardized extract is the choice where vitamin C is declared. The acerola cherry extract at 10:1 is the simpler option where acerola identity, a tart fruit note and a red tint matter more than a marker, and the two fruit powders bring fiber and whole-fruit character, the freeze-dried one through gentler drying.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Malpighia emarginata
Plant Part	Fruit & Berry
Processing	Water Extraction
Common Name	Acerola Cherry, Barbados Cherry
Ingredient Type	Ratio Extract
Extract Ratio	10:1
Appearance	Red powder
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Dispersible
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)	≤5.0%
Total Ash	≤5.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Application Areas

Chewable Tablet Bases

The tart, acidic acerola cherry extract gives chewables a fruity flavor and a pink-red tint but needs an acid-tolerant binder. Pressing in low humidity and packing with desiccant protects against softening and color fade in storage, where the pink-red tint can otherwise dull.

Fruit-Flavored Drink Sticks

Sticks carry acerola cherry extract with sweetener and a flavored carrier. The tart, cherry-like note suits berry, tropical or citrus flavors, and the powder dissolves in cold water to a pink-red drink with slight haze that the red color hides.

Gummy Premixes with pH Check

The extract goes in after cooking, once the mass has cooled, because heat degrades both color and ascorbic acid. Its acid adds tartness and shifts pH, which affects how pectin gummies set, so pH is checked on trial batches.

Bar Mixes with a Tart Note

Bars take acerola cherry extract in the dry premix as a tart, red-tinted fruit component. Its sugars and acids hold water, so the premix is kept sealed until forming, and color is checked after storage because anthocyanin pigments fade in light.

Formulation Notes

The powder is red to pink-red with a sharp fruity aroma and a tart, sour-sweet taste. In water it dissolves or disperses to a pink to red, slightly hazy liquid. Its acid- and sugar-rich solids are strongly hygroscopic and sticky, and the powder cakes quickly when left open to humid air.

Ascorbic acid and anthocyanin pigments degrade with heat, light, oxygen and metal ions. Add the extract late in any heated step, choose opaque, oxygen-limiting packs for finished products and keep iron and copper tools away from it. Weigh in a controlled-humidity room and premix with a portion of the filler before the main mixer.

Powder this rich in fruit sugars and acids softens first at the surface, so weigh and fill in short runs rather than leaving a charged hopper open. After opening a container of acerola cherry extract, reseal the liner firmly and keep it dry: repeated exposure to room air turns the powder into a hard, dark cake.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.