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• sugar free
• gluten free
• dairy free
• low GI

Description

Grown in South America and in particular Peru for thousands of years, this purple corn is one of nature’s richest sources of at least six different anthocyanin antioxidants - even more than blueberries. This purple corn extract is creating by juicing the purple corn then slowly, at low temperatures, evaporating off the liquid in the juice until this pure powder remains. It tastes like the essence of corn (a faint sweetness with a subtle hint of American whiskey with no alcohol). Purple corn extract is a wonderful addition to smoothies, cacao/chocolate drinks, desserts, and any recipe that you want to jazz up with a vibrant purple colour.

       Nutritional information

Serving suggestion

Once open, please refrigerate. One level teapoon (approximately 1 gram) per day per person is a good dose of purple corn extract. A little goes a long way with this rare product.

General information

Purple corn, a variety of Zea mays, is an Andean crop from low valleys locally called maiz morado. Purple corn can be found mostly in Peru, where it is cultivated in the coast, as well as in lands almost ten thousand feet high. There are different varieties of purple corn, and all of them originated from an ancestral line called “Kculli”, still cultivated in Peru. The Kculli line is very old, and ancient objects in the shape of these particular ears of corn have been found in archeological sites at least 2,500 years old in places in the central coast, as well as among the ceramics of the “Mochica” culture. Purple corn contains substantial amounts of phenolics and anthocyanins, among other phytochemicals. Its main colorant is cianidin-3-b-glucosa.

People of the Andes make a refreshing drink from purple corn called "chicha morada" which is now recognized as a nutritive powerhouse due to its phenolic content. Phenolics are known to have many bioactive and functional properties. Research shows that crops with the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin content also have the highest antioxidant activity.

Anthocyaninins are a type of complex flavonoid that produce blue, purple or red colors. Anthocyaninins encourage connective tissue regeneration and are anti-inflammatory. They promote blood flow and reduce cholesterol, in addition to being antioxidants. Anthocyaninins seem to stabilize and protect capillaries from oxidative damage and have been shown to stabilize connective tissue, promote collagen formation, improve microcirculation and help protect blood vessels from oxidative damage.

Purple Corn has higher antioxidant capacity and antiradical kinetics than blueberries and higher or similar anthocyanin and phenolic contents.