Comparison of Morphological, Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Properties of Goji Fruits

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>There is a growing public interest in fruits labeled as „superfood” (functional food). A “superfood” should have a high content of bioactive substances with a positive impact on human health. Seven different cultivars of goji berry fruits (<jats:italic>Lycium chinense</jats:italic> Mill.) grown in north-western Poland were evaluated for its physicochemical parameters, antidiabetic and antioxidant activity, and polyphenol content. The length of 1-year-old shoots ranged from 36 cm (‘Big Lifeberry’) to 82 cm (‘Korean Big’). Cultivars from the group of Big were characterized by the biggest fruits (17.3-24.2 mm) with the greatest weight of 100 fruits (96.7­122.1 g). ‘Big Lifeberry’ contained high amounts of <jats:italic>L</jats:italic>-ascorbic acid (408 mg 1000/g) and provitamin A (190 mg 1000/g) and showed high antidiabetic (<jats:italic>α</jats:italic>-amylase IC<jats:sub>50</jats:sub>=33.4 mg/mL; <jats:italic>α</jats:italic>-glucosidase IC<jats:sub>50</jats:sub>=9.9 mg/mL) and antioxidant activity (ABTS·+ 6.21 and FRAP 5.58 mmol T/100 g). ‘Big Lifeberry’ was also characterized by a high total content of polyphenols (43.64 mg 100/g). Furthermore, the nitrite content in all the cultivars tested was at a relatively low level. Among the examined cultivars, the most attractive one concerning the consumers’ point of view of the size, weight and high content of health-promoting compounds is ‘Big Lifeberry’.</jats:p>

Health-Promoting Capacities of In Vitro and Cultivated Goji (Lycium chinense Mill.) Fruit and Leaves; Polyphenols, Antimicrobial Activity, Macro- and Microelements and Heavy Metals

“…1' and 'New Big', respectively); meanwhile, the FRAP values obtained for the leaves grown in the orchard and for fruit were at a similar level ( Table 5). Our data agree with that reported by Kruczek et al [6] and Wojdyło et al [31], who demonstrated similar values of antioxidant activity in their studies. According to many authors [6,26,31], the antioxidant activity of various plant species (fruit or leaves) may be determined by growing conditions, geographical location, climatic conditions, genotype, fruit maturity, or even the collection methods.…”

“…1 cultivar. The results obtained in this study were compared to the results of Lachowicz et al [28] in saskatoon berries (L* from −32.71 to 49.31) and Kruczek et al [6] in goji berries (L* from −32.6 to 72.3). However, the goji fruit examined by Kruczek and Ochmian [3] and the highbush blueberries examined by Ochmian et al [30] were darker than in our own research.…”

“…In this study, the dominant phenolic acid was 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid. According to Sato et al [32] and Kruczek et al [6], chlorogenic acid has a significant influence on the flavor of fruit and vegetables. Moreover, it shows anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, and antioxidant properties in vitro.…”

“…berries contain multiple mineral and organic compounds (i.e., vitamins B 1 , B 6 , A, C, E), with potential to repair epidermal damage, and showing excellent effects on cardiovascular and cholesterol levels [ 3 , 4 ]. Goji leaves are also a rich source of bioactive compounds that can be used as additive in health-promoting preparation [ 5 , 6 ]. In support of such traditional properties, modern studies indicate that extracts from goji berries possess a range of biologic activities, including antioxidant properties [ 7 ].…”

Effect of Tytanit® on the Physiological Activity of Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) Grown in Salinity Conditions

“…Nevertheless, due to their (Fragaria vesca L.) grown in salinity conditions specific taste and intense aroma and high antioxidant content, wild strawberries are valued and sought by the fresh fruit markets, the processing industry, confectionery and cosmetics industries. That contributes to a high market value of Fragaria vesca, which may encourage farmers to increase the cultivation area of this species (Muñoz et al, 2011;Oancea, 2011;Dias et al, 2016;Kruczek et al 2020). The literature so far has focused mainly on the evaluation of the influence of Tytanit® on the yield and its quality in various plant species.…”