**General Information about Goji, Goji Juice, and Goji Berries

 


**Goji, Goji Juice Goji Berries

The Goji Berry is also know as Wolfberry.
(The words wolfberry and goji berry are interchanged frequently in this resource. All information was obtained from wikipedia.)

Wolfberry is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum and L. chinense

Wolfberry species currently grow in many regions of the world regions. However, only in China is there significant commercial cultivation.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture the Wolfberry is also known as Chinese wolfberry, goji berry, barbary matrimony vine, bocksdorn, cambronera, Duke of Argyll's tea tree, or matrimony vine. The names Tibetan goji and Himalayan goji are in common use in the health food market for products from this plant.

Renowned in Asia as a highly nutritious food, wolfberries (goji berries)  have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for about 1,900 years. Their undocumented legend is much older, as wolfberries (goji berries) are often linked in Chinese lore.

Since the early 21st century, the United States and other developed countries, have recognized wolfberries (the goji berry, goji berries) for their nutrient richness and antioxidant properties.  This recognition has lead to a profusion of consumer products, such as goji juice, dried goji berries and various other food products.  Goji is even found in skin care lines. 

Such rapid commercial development extends from wolfberry having a high ranking among "superfruits" expected to be part of a billion dollar market by 2011.

(Superfruit, a marketing term used in the food and beverage industry that refers to a common or rare exotic fruit having exceptional nutrient density, antioxidant properties and usually with a unique taste.

Superfruits have been developed mainly as juices, but also appear as ingredients for functional food products, confectioneries, cosmetics, energy drinks, and dietary supplements.)

The oblong, red berries are very tender and must be picked carefully or shaken from the vine into trays to avoid spoiling. The fruits are preserved by slowly drying them in the shade on air exchange tablets or by mechanical dehydration employing a progressively increasing series of heat exposure over 48 hours.

Wolfberries are celebrated each August in Ningxia with an annual festival coinciding with the berry harvest (it was first held in Ningxia's capital, Yinchuan, but is now held in Zhongning County, an important center of wolfberry cultivation for the region).

The names "Himalayan Goji berry" and "Tibetan Goji berry" are common in the global health food market.

The majority of commercially produced goji berries (wolfberries) come from the Ningxia Hui region of north-central China and the Xinjiang Uyghur Region of western China, where they are grown on plantations. Goji berry plantations typically range between 100 and 1000 acres in size.

Ningxia goji berries have earned a reputation throughout Asia for their premium quality. They are  sometimes described commercially as "red diamonds". Government releases of annual wolfberry production, premium fruit grades, and export are based on yields grown in  Ningxia.  Ningxia is China's primary source of therapeutic grade ("superior-grade") goji berries used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.

Commercial volumes of wolfberries are also grown in the Chinese regions of Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hebei.

Buyer Beware: Some Western resellers may state that their wolfberries or goji berries are organically grown when in fact they probably are not.

The Green Certificate claimed by some goji berry marketers to be the equivalent of the United States Department of Agriculture's "USDA Organic" seal is simply an agricultural training program for China's rural poor.  China's Green Food Standard, administered by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture's China Green Food Development Center, permits use of some amount of pesticide and herbicide,

Despite claims that goji berries sold in Europe, the United States, and Canada meet organic standards, there is no public evidence for standardized organic certification of goji berries from Asian regions where they are commercially grown. Oftentimes these berries are marketed as Tibetan or Himalayan Goji Berries that have been "wild crafted" or "wild harvested".

United Kingdom.  The goji berry has been naturalized as an ornamental and edible plant in the UK for nearly 300 years. On June 18, 2007, the FSA (UK Food Standards Agency) stated that there was a significant history of the fruit being consumed in Europe before 1997, and has removed it from the Novel Foods list. It is now legal to sell the goji berry in the UK as a food as reported by the British Food Standards Agency.

UK.  The goji berry has been naturalized as an ornamental and edible plant in the UK for nearly 300 years. On June 18, 2007, the FSA (UK Food Standards Agency) stated that there was a significant history of the fruit being consumed in Europe before 1997, and has removed it from the Novel Foods list. It is now legal to sell the goji berry in the UK as a food as reported by the British Food Standards Agency.

Wolfberries are almost never found in their fresh form outside of their production regions, and are usually sold in open boxes and small packages in dried form. The texture of the fruit varies. Some are soft and tacky like a raisin, while others may be very hard. Goji Berries with a vibrant orange-red color may have been treated with a sulfite.

Medicinal Properties

Goji Berries have long played important roles in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where they are believed to enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other wellness benefits.

In TCM terms, goji berries are sweet in taste. They act on the liver, lungs, and kidneys and enrich yin. They can be eaten raw, consumed as juice or wine, brewed into an herbal tea or prepared as a tincture.

The Goji Berry is also used in traditional Korean medicine, traditional Japanese medicine and traditional Tibetan medicine.

The Goji Berry contains zeaxanthin, an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering roles.

Several published studies, mostly from China, have reported possible medicinal benefits of Lycium barbarum, especially due to its antioxidant properties.  These wellness properties include potential benefits against cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, vision-related diseases (such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma).

However, in western medicine, research is in the early stages of being scientifically verified and confirmed in clinical studies. Look for more research and peer reviewed data soon.

Culinary Uses of the Goji Berry

Dried wolfberries are often added to rice as well as used in Chinese tonic soups, in combination with chicken or pork, vegetables, and other herbs such as wild yam.  The berries are also boiled as an herbal tea, often along with chrysanthemum flowers. Packaged teas are also available. Various wines containing wolfberries are also produced, including some that are a blend of grape wine and wolfberries. At least one Chinese company produces wolfberry beer, and New Belgium Brewery makes an ale with wolfberries used as flavoring. An instant coffee product containing wolfberry extract has been produced in China.

In the West, dried goji berries are eaten as a snack in the manner of raisins or other dried fruit.  Dried goji berries are also used frequently in raw food diets.


 

Macronutrients

Wolfberry / Goji Berry contains significant percentages of a day's macronutrient needs in the form of carbohydrates, protein, fat and dietary fiber. 68% of the mass of dried wolfberries (goji berries) exists as carbohydrate, 12% as protein, and 10% each as fiber and fat, giving a total caloric value in a 100 gram serving of 370 (kilo).

Micronutrients and phytochemicals

Wolfberries / goji berries contain many nutrients and phytochemicals including

  • 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals
  • 18 amino acids
  • 6 essential vitamins
  • 8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
  • 5 unsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
  • beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
  • 5 carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin (below), lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, a xanthophyll
  • numerous phenolic pigments (phenols) associated with antioxidant properties

Select examples given below are for 100 grams of dried goji berries.

  • Calcium. Wolfberries contain 112 mg per 100 gram serving, providing about 8-10% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).
  • Potassium. Wolfberries contain 1,132 mg per 100 grams dried fruit, giving about 24% of the DRI.
  • Iron. Wolfberries have 9 mg iron per 100 grams (100% DRI).
  • Zinc. 2 mg per 100 grams dried fruit (18% DRI).
  • Selenium. 100 grams of dried wolfberries contain 50 micrograms (91% DRI)
  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2). At 1.3 mg, 100 grams of dried wolfberries provide 100% of DRI.
  • Vitamin C. Vitamin C content in dried wolfberries has a wide range (from different sources) from 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams (respectively, 32% and 163% DRI).

Wolfberries also contain numerous phytochemicals for which there are no established DRI values. Examples:

  • Beta-carotene: 7 mg per 100 grams dried fruit.
  • Zeaxanthin. Reported values for zeaxanthin content in dried wolfberries vary considerably, from 25 mg per 100 grams to 200 mg per 100 grams [48]. The higher values would make wolfberry one of the richest edible plant sources known for zeaxanthin content. Up to 77% of total carotenoids present in wolfberry exist as zeaxanthin.
  • Polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are a major constituent of wolfberries, representing up to 31% of pulp weight.

(Note on micronutrient and phytochemical contents: differences in the degree of berry maturation at the time of picking, soil conditions and geographic region where the berries were grown, post-harvest handling and processing, duration of storage, residual water content and assay preparation can significantly affect individual nutrient contents, especially those for vitamins and phytochemicals.)

 
**All Information on this page was gathered and obtained for your convenience through the information provided at Wikipedia.  Please visit Wikipedia for more research on goji, himalayan goji berries, tibetan goji berries, goji juice, goji products and the goji berry.  Visit the following for the resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry

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