Goji Berries: Valuable Sources of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Apart from traditional medicine use, the fruit of Lycium barbarum L., known as red goji berry or wolfberry, is recognized and consumed as a functional food. Beyond nutritional properties, goji berry exerts many biological activities and health-promoting effects due to wide-range phytochemicals. Rising global popularity and high demand have spread the production of goji berries from traditional Asian regions into various parts of the world. In addition, other native species, as Lycium ruthenicum Murr., or black goji berry, also have been started to generate attention by the scientific community as a valuable source of nutritional and functional components. This chapter reviews data on nutritional value and bioactive compounds of red and black goji berries from different regions, highlighting the influence of many pre-harvest and post-harvest factors that affect their chemical compositions, sensory quality, and bioactivities.