Acai Berry vs Muscadine Grapes –Report Compares Health Benefits

Acai Berries are well known for their complete nutritional profile and strong list of potential health benefits. Now a fruit as old as our country – the muscadine grape – is starting to cause some chatter among nutritionist and dieticians. Can the muscadine grape stand standup to the Acai Berry in terms of nutritional benefits?



The Acai berry has gained international recognition as one of the highest antioxidant fruits in the world. Dr. Perricone named the Acai berry as the #1 Superfood on the Oprah Winfrey show. Acai has been featured on the Today Show, CBS Early Show, Wall Street Jounal and the New York Times. The Acai berry grows in the Acai Palm trees of the Amazon Rainforest and is very high in antioxidants, healthy Omega fats, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. While other foods and fruits may be high in certain key nutrients, what has made the Acai the top superfood is its complete nutritional profile.



The muscadine grape is a purple/bronze colored grape that grows throughout the Southeastern United States. Muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifolia), also called Scuppernong, have adapted over the years to survive the harsh climate of the Southeast. Muscadines tend to be larger, stronger and have thicker skins than traditional grapes.



One of the most significant differences between red grapes and muscadines is on a genetic level.

Normal grapes have 19 pairs of chromosomes. Muscadines actually have an extra pair of chromosomes - they have 20 pairs! It is believed that this genetic difference is the reason that Muscadines have 6 times the Resveratrol of red grapes, 40 times the antioxidants, more fiber than oat bran and are the only grapes to contain ellagic acid.



“We love the Acai Berry. Of course, with all the scams out there, you do need to make sure you are getting pure Organic Freeze Dried Acai. We believe the Acai berry is something that can be helpful to anyone’s diet” states Bob Peters, Director of Communications at PowerSupplements.Com . “Muscadine grapes are quickly become a very close second to Acai in terms of nutritional benefit. When you look at all the phytonutrients of the Muscadines, it is hard to argue against their benefits. Resveratrol, fiber, ellagic acid and 40 times more antioxidants than red grapes – all super impressive.”



While both the Acai Berry and the Muscadine Grape are packed with antioxidants – there are differences in the types of antioxidants that they contain. Acai is rich in anthocyanins, while Muscadines are rich in ellagic acid. Another key difference is that the Muscadine seed is packed with nutrients such as trans-resveratrol, therefore it is important to incorporate the muscadine seed, muscadine skin and muscadine pulp into your diet. On the other hand, the Acai seed has very little nutrients and you do not want a Acai supplement that uses the Acai Seed.



“When it comes to Acai, we always tell people to look for supplements that do NOT contain the Acai seed – as it has little nutritional value. It is a different story with the Muscadines – the muscadine seed is a great source of resveratrol, so you do want a Muscadine supplement that used the skin, seed and pulp” states Peters.