Lycium fruits (Lycium barbarum, Lycium chinense) are mainly cultivated and distributed in Northwest China. The fruits and root bark have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. In this study, Lycium dry fruit extracts from the main cultivation areas in China together with a sample from Nepal were subjected to a comparative metabolic profiling, including total carbohydrate content, total phenolic content, vitamin C content, carotenoid content, and mineral contents. Results showed that there was a slight difference in contents of nutrients and phytochemicals among samples from different areas. The total carbohydrate content was higher in the sample from Guazhou, Gansu province (69.47%), with an average value of total carbohydrate content of 61.59%, while the highest total phenolic content value was 14.13 mgGAE/g from Nepal. Data concerning vitamin C content ranged between 33.15 and 113.8 mg/100 g, with an average value of 55.29 mg/100 g. Zeaxanthin dipalmitate content in Lycium dry fruits ranged from 419.34 to 1008.90 μg/g among the different samples, with the highest content (1008.90 μg/g) observed in Tianjing. It appeared that we could not clearly differentiate Lycium samples in terms of their metabolic and mineral profile. The quantitative difference observed among samples might be linked to soil composition and environmental aspect of the harvest place. Our results were somehow in the same range as those reported in the literature. Therefore, Lycium fruits could be used as a dietary source of natural function foods and be worthy of development and utilization.

Dried fruits of black goji were investigated for their fatty acid, mineral contents, and antioxidant activity against isoproterenol‐induced acute myocardial ischemia in mice was revealed. It was observed that the key fatty acids from Lycium ruthenicum Murr. (LRM) oil studied included linoleic (59.38%), oleic (20.85%), palmitic (7.07%), linolenic (2.98%), and stearic acids (5.31%), which together comprised 95.59% of the total fatty acids. The key mineral nutrients studied were potassium (17,631.15 mg/kg), calcium (2004.4 mg/kg), and magnesium (1,274.6 mg/kg), while copper, iron, manganese, and zinc were found in trace. Moreover, oral administration of water extraction of LRM exhibited significant reduction of enzyme activities, and MDA level triggered by ISO to be near normal level, while exhibited a significant increase of SOD and GSH activities. Our results provide deep insight on LRM as a potential source of high‐value phytochemicals for the development of new functional food and beverage products.

The fruits of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. have long been used in folk medicine. Nevertheless, detailed information related to its phenolic composition and its quality control remains scarce. In this study, a simple and reproducible method, based on high-performance liquid chromatography combined with chemometrics, was developed to authenticate 18 samples of L. ruthenicum Murr. collected from different parts of China through fingerprint analysis. The main peaks were identified by quadrupole time-of-flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Four phenolics were quantified, and the most abundant phenolic compound in almost all samples was kukoamine A. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were applied to classify these samples. Also, a total of 26 compounds, which were mainly phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, were identified or tentatively identified based on the available literature and standard references. Among these, 16 were reported for the first time in the extract. The results showed that there was no significant difference between L. ruthenicum fruits from different provinces in terms of chemical composition. Also, the fingerprint together with chemometric analyses and quadrupole time-of-flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry are promising methods for evaluating the quality consistency, identification, and comprehensive evaluation of L. ruthenicum.

Aim: This study aimed at evaluating the antioxidant activities of extracts from four vegetables namely: Beta vulgaris, Raphanus sativus, and two varieties (red and green) of Brassica oleracea. Method: The antioxidant properties of these extracts were assessed using five different methods including 2,2-diphényl 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Nitrogen Oxyde (NO), total reducing power, total phenolic and flavonoids content. Results: All the four vegetable extracts showed free radical-scavenging activity against DPPH· with RSa50 (Radical scavenging activity 50) ranging between 129.77 and 323.64 µg/ml, and inhibitory activity against NO radical (RSa50 ranging from 1454,52 to 4479,97 µg/ml). The four vegetable extracts also showed total reducing powers ranging between 2.41 and 9.37 AAE (mg ascorbic acid equivalents per gram of dried extract). These antioxidant activities can be justified by the presence of different antioxidant compounds like total phenol contents which were present in all studied vegetable extracts with quantities varying between 4.37 and 11.83 GAE (mg of garlic acid equivalents per gram of dried extract) of dry extract, or flavonoids which were also present in all the plants with total contents ranging between 0.1 and 0.25 RE (rutin equivalents per gram of dried extract). Conclusion: The different antioxidant activities demonstrated in this study provide scientific evidence that some vegetables commonly consumed in Cameroon including B. oleracea, R. sativus and B. vulgaris can serve as a dietary supplement or in preventive medicine in the management of oxidative stress and associated pathologies.