Chapter 16 - Antioxidants in Goji Berry Juice (Lycium barbarum) and Effects of Processing Steps

Abstract

Lycium barbarum, in the dried form, as freshly squeezed fruit juice, or as concentrated beverages, has been used as a traditional Asian medicine and functional food for thousands of years. Studies indicate it has antioxidant, anti-aging, neuroprotective, blood glucose regulating, immunomodulative, anti-tumor, cytoprotective and many other effects. Among various constituents, a group of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) with a glycan-O-Ser glycopeptide structure has been most researched and is considered to be important for the efficacy of L. barbarum, especially for its antioxidant effects. LBP is relatively stable within an acceptable range of specification in a standardized fruit juice under both 12-month accelerated and 24-month real-time stability conditions. LBP-standardized fruit juice has been shown to have a significant clinical antioxidant effect, as indicated by increased serum levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and reduced malondialdehyde levels in vivo in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical study.