Calabrian Goji vs. Chinese Goji: A Comparative Study on Biological Properties

Abstract

Lycium barbarum (Goji) fruits are mainly cultivated in northwestern China and are well known for their beneficial and healthy effects. In this work, the biological and functional properties of Calabrian Goji extract, obtained from Goji berries cultivated in the Sibari Plain (in the Italian region of Calabria), were demonstrated. In order to evaluate the use of this extract as a food supplement for cognitive and mental disorders, the quantification of Carotenoids as Zeaxanthin equivalents was made. The antioxidant activity was investigated by evaluating the scavenging properties against 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals and by performing the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) assay. The inhibition of lipid peroxidation was quantified by bleaching test and the ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase enzyme and to scavenge nitric oxide radical was also evaluated. All the results were compared to those obtained from a Chinese Goji extract used as a reference. Based on the reported data, Calabrian Goji might be used as a food supplement with a possible application in cognitive disorders, mental impairments and other neurodegenerative diseases, due to its biological properties and the high levels of Carotenoids.

Italian Lycium barbarum L. Berry: Chemical Characterization and Nutraceutical Value

“…Subsequently, the antioxidant capacity of goji berries was evaluated by means of ORAC radical scavenging test, in order to understand the possible health-promoting effects provided by this matrix. An ORAC mean value of 6.3 µmol TE/g was obtained, in line with other works investigating the ORAC values in Calabrian and Chinese goji extracts [10].…”

Antioxidant Properties and Phenolic Compounds of Vitamin C‐Rich Juices

“…In turn, the content of anthocyanins in wild rose fruits ( R. canina ) was similar to the one determined in our study and equaled 27.5 mg/kg (Murathan et al., ) or 20.4 mg/kg (Ercisli, ). A relatively low content of anthocyanins in gojiberries suggests that the orange color of the fruit may be due to a large content of carotenoids, mostly zeaxanthin (Ruffo et al., ). Anthocyanins were not detected in sea buckthorn berries (Chen, Xin, Yuan, Su, & Wei, ; Green & Low, ).…”

“…Goji fruits ( Lycium barbarum and L. chinense ) are mainly cultivated in northwestern China and are well‐known for their beneficial and health‐promoting effects (Ruffo et al., ). These fruits are traditional food and medicine in East Asia, and they have become increasingly popular in Europe and North America since the early 21st century (Potterat, ).…”

“…Currently, gojiberries are classified as functional food and have many advantages such as: antioxidant properties, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects. This wide range of action is the result of bioactive compounds comprised in gojiberries, such as phenolic compounds, vitamin C, carotenoids (Le, Chiu, & Ng, ; Ruffo et al., ; Zhang, Chen, Zhao, & Xi, ) and polysaccharides complex LBB ( Lycium barbarum polysaccharides) (Li & Zhou, ; Wang et al., ).…”

Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Goji Berries Cultivated in Serbia

“…Overall, these results indicate that the phenolic content differs significantly among different goji berry varieties, probably reflecting their specific health-promoting effects [60]. In addition, the observed differences in the polyphenol contents compared to the literature data, including previously published data on red goji berry fruit cultivated in north Serbia [16], could be explained by different climate and soil factors that affected the plant development [61,62], as well as extraction procedures that were applied [63].…”