Borojó (pronounced bo-ro-HO) is an exciting new superfruit that is creating an international buzz in the world of nutrition and health. Indigenous to the Southern Pacific rainforests of Colombia, borojo has been revered for centuries by the local population for what is considered its nutritional and health promoting properties. While borojo is known famously in Latin America as an aphrodisiac (it is called “Nature’s Viagra”), it is also consumed as an energizer, a metabolism booster, and to maintain a healthy weight.

To better understand the functional aspects of borojo, Nutropical commissioned a study at the Center for Advanced Food Technology (CAFT) at Rutgers University. The study was exciting in that scientists found that borojo is rich in a novel polyphenolic compound that may be responsible for the health benefits commonly attributed to the fruit. Most plant materials contain a large number of different polyphenolic compounds, but borojo appears to be unique in the plant world in that it contains only one (previously unidentified) polyphenol in relatively high concentration.

Polyphenols play a critical role in human health and disease prevention. Most importantly, they are powerful antioxidants that protect the body's tissues against cellular damage caused by oxidative stress and associated pathologies. Polyphenols are also known to exhibit a variety of anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties and are the compounds that famously give red wine, green tea, and chocolate their antioxidant and health promoting powers.

Nutropical also commissioned a detailed laboratory analysis at Covance, one of the leading pharmaceutical and biotech research firms. The analysis found that borojo is rich in macro minerals and essential amino acids that are critical to healthy body function. Minerals found in large amounts in borojo include potassium, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. These macro minerals are necessary for maintaining the body’s central functions, staving off illness, and for cellular regeneration and growth. Borojo also contains amino acids such as lysine, tyrosine, leucine, and valine. These essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein and critical for healthy functioning, are not produced by the body and therefore must be supplied in the diet.