The exotic tropical fruits are adequate for the increasing market of fruit juices and based fruit drinks by their diversity of aromas and flavours and by their nutritional value. In such group, acerola appears as potentially attractive due to its high ascorbic acid content. The objective of this work was to develop a process for obtaining clarified and concentrated acerola, juice, maintaining its nutritional and sensory characteristics. The experimental procedure consisted of fruits pulping followed by an enzymatic hydrolysis, a clarification by microfiltration and the concentration by reverse osmosis. The obtained products presented the required microbiological counts and nutritional quality due to the ascorbic acid preservation. Vitamin C content of the integral juice was 1234 mg/100 g and in concentrated juice it reached 5229 mg/100 g. In an acceptability test most of the consumers (84%) liked the drink prepared with the clarified juice. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.