Abstract
The fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (FLB) has been used as medicines and functional foods for more than 2000 years in East Asia. In this study, carotenoid, phenolic, flavonoid, and polysaccharide contents as well as the antioxidant activities of FLB from 13 different regions in China from a total of 78 samples were analyzed. The results showed that total carotenoid contents ranged from 12.93 to 25.35 mg β-carotene equivalents/g DW. Zeaxanthin dipalmitate was the predominant carotenoid (4.260–10.07 mg/g DW) in FLB. The total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total polysaccharide contents ranged from 6.899 to 8.253 mg gallic acid equivalents/g DW, 3.177 to 6.144 mg rutin equivalents/g DW, and 23.62 to 42.45 mg/g DW, respectively. Rutin content ranged from 0.1812 to 0.4391 mg/g DW, and ferulic acid content ranged from 0.0994 to 0.1726 mg/g DW. All of these FLB could be divided into two clusters with PCA analysis, and both individual carotenoids and total carotenoid contents could be used as markers for regional characterization. The phenolic components were the main substance for the antioxidant activity of FLB. Considering the functional component and antioxidant activities, FLB produced in Guyuan of Ningxia was the closest to Daodi herbs (Zhongwei of Ningxia), which is commercially available high quality FLB. The results of this study could provide guidance for comprehensive applications of FLB production in different regions.
Highlights
Fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (FLB), widely known as goji or wolfberry, has been used as a medicine and functional food for more than 2000 years in East Asia, especially in China
It revealed that an ultrasonic bath extraction with 0.5 g of fruit powder mixed with hexane/acetone/ethanol (2:1:1, v/v/v) in the 1:80 sample:solvent ratio at 30 ◦ C for 40 min were the optimum conditions for the extraction of individual carotenoids in fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (FLB)
The study results showed that both the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in FLB from Zhongwei of Ningxia (NXZW) were higher, which may be correlated with its better clinical effect
Summary
Fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (FLB), widely known as goji or wolfberry, has been used as a medicine and functional food for more than 2000 years in East Asia, especially in China. (FLB), widely known as goji or wolfberry, has been used as a medicine and functional food for more than 2000 years in East Asia, especially in China. It has been recognized as a ‘super food’ or ‘super fruit’ in Europe and North America [1]. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that FLB could nourish the liver and kidney, and improve eyesight [2,3]. Modern pharmacology research has confirmed that FLB has the properties of antioxidant, antiaging, immune modulation, antidiabetic, etc. Carotenoids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, lignans, amides, alkaloids, glycerogalactolipids, and polysaccharides build the compound library of FLB [5,6,7,8].
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