Food Fight: Camu Camu vs Baobab Fruit

The camu camu fruit is a small, cherry-sized fruit that grows in the Amazon rainforest, whereas the baobab fruit is a large, coconut-sized fruit native to the African savannah. Both the camu camu fruit and the baobab fruit are famous for their high vitamin C content, and both have been touted as superfoods. But how do these two vitamin C superfoods fruits fare against each other? Below, we compare camu camu and baobab in terms of vitamin C content, flavor, uses and price. Read on to find out.

Vitamin C Content

Both camu camu fruit and baobab are among the most concentrated natural sources of vitamin C on Earth. The vitamin C content of camu camu has been reported to range from 1,882 to 2,280 milligrams per 100 grams of fresh fruit, which is about 40 times the amount of vitamin C you would get from an equal-sized serving of fresh oranges. Baobab contains somewhat less vitamin C, with 100 grams of fresh baobab fruit providing up to 500 milligrams of vitamin C. That's almost 10 times the amount of vitamin C found in an equivalent serving of oranges.

Flavor

Because of its extremely high vitamin C content, the camu camu fruit has a very sour taste, which is why camu camu powder is usually only consumed mixed with other ingredients. Although also baobab has a tart flavor, it is a lot less sour than camu camu, and the flavor of pure baobab powder can be described as pleasantly sour. Both camu camu and baobab can lend citrusy flavor to dishes.

Uses

Camu camu powder and baobab powder can be used to boost the nutritional profile of everything from breakfast dishes to desserts. Some of the best ways to use camu camu powder, or baobab powder, include sneaking a small amount into smoothies and salad dressings, adding it to energy bar recipes, and incorporating it into homemade frozen desserts. What's more, as vitamin C is known to boost the action of yeast, you can also try adding a bit of camu camu or baobab powder into bread doughs to improve the texture of your loaves.

Price and Availability

Both camu camu powder and baobab powder can be purchased at well-stocked health food stores as well as online. Compared with many other superfood powders, baobab powder is relatively cheap because the baobab tree grows wild almost anywhere where there is arid land in Africa. Plus, the baobab fruit is big, so you can get a lot of powder out of a single fruit. Camu camu powder, by contrast, can be quite expensive, especially if you want to buy certified organic camu camu powder. In terms of price, camu camu powder is typically in the same category as acai and maqui berry powders.