Myrciaria dubia, commonly known as camu camu, camucamu, cacari, or camocamo, is a small bushy riverside tree from the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Brazil, which grows to a height of and bears a red/purple cherry-like fruit. It is a close relative of the jabuticaba and the guavaberry or rumberry. As much as 2-3% of the fresh fruit by weight is vitamin C.
The current range of camu camu consists of the Amazonian lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Its distribution 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.
Harvest
Long used by native peoples, wild camu camu fruit 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. The tree is relatively easy to cultivate within certain growing conditions. 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. Fair trade is present in low-land production from the Association of Camu Camu Producers of the Peruvian Amazon. The tree occurs in locally dense populations or even monospecific stands in Amazonian flood plains and riparian vegetation. The plant is extremely tolerant of flooding, withstanding four to five months with the roots and even much of the aerial parts submerged in water. The species propagates through seeds. In cultivation, the tree begins bearing fruits after attaining in stem girth. Plants flower at the end of the dry season and produce fruit at the peak of the rainy season. Observations with both wild and cultivated plants suggest that the trees can remain productive for several decades. Wild trees have been found to yield of fruit on average. At suggested planting densities of 600–1100 trees per, about fruit may be derived in cultivation from one hectare. It is thought that much higher yields could be achieved using improved horticultural techniques, such as the use of clonal elite material, pruning, and fertilization.
Vitamin C: ranges from 1882–2280 mg depending on ripeness.
Camu camu has an extraordinarily high vitamin C content, and this property of the fruit has been exploited in positioning it on international markets. Vitamin C content declines as full maturity is reached, with a trade-off between vitamin C and flavor expression. The fruit is rich in flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanols, catechins, delphinidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside, ellagic acid, and rutin. Other analysis revealed the presence of gallic and ellagic acids, suggesting that the fruit possesses hydrolyzed tannins.
Uses
Documentation of traditional camu camu uses is scarce. In traditional Amazonian societies, camu camu is not likely to have ever been nutritionally relevant. The fruit is extremely acidic and the flavor must be masked by dilution in milk or water and the addition of sugar. A reddish pigment in the leathery skin of the fruit imparts a pink color on juices extracted from camu camu. The aroma is subtle, but is not so captivating as in more popular fruits. Recently, camu camu is used in ice creams and sweets and processed powder from the fruit pulp is beginning to be sold in the west as a health food in loose powder or capsule form.
Conservation issues
Currently, overharvesting of wild camu camu threatens to make it an endangered species. Efforts are underway to encourage commercial growing of camu camu in the Amazon River basin.
