Chemical substances and use of goji berries (Lycium barbarum L.)

Navadna kustovnica (Lycium barbarum L.) ali goji je sadna vrsta iz družine razhudnikovk (Solanaceae). Rastlina je najbolj razširjena v toplih predelih sveta, predvsem v Sredozemlju, jugozahodni in osrednji Aziji. Glavna pridelovalka goji jagod je Kitajska. Po pregledu literature sem v diplomski nalogi predstavila vsebnost biokemičnih snovi v plodovih navadne kustovnice – goji jagodah, ki so odvisne od sorte, zrelosti plodov, geografske lege rastišča in podnebnih razmer. Plod vsebuje 75 % vode, 5–8 % suhe mase pa predstavljajo ogljikovi hidrati. Med karotenoidnimi estri prevladuje zeaksantin dipalmitat, njegova vsebnost v goji jagodah znaša od 159 do 540 mg/100 g sveže mase jagod. Vsebnost skupnih fenolov se giblje med 2,17 mg GAE/g in 4,48 mg GAE/g ploda. Velika antioksidativna aktivnost je v veliki meri posledica vsebnosti karotenoidov, fenolnih spojin, flavonoidov in vitamina C. V svežih plodovih so prisotni vitamini A, E in C. Vsebnost slednjega je od 40 do 60 mg/100 g, kar je primerljivo z limono. Navadna kustovnica ima širok spekter uporabe. Uporablja se v tradicionalni kitajski medicini, je priljubljen dodatek v kulinariki, primerna je za prehranske dodatke, povečuje se tudi njena uporaba v kozmetičnih izdelkih.Goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) is a species of fruit in the Solanaceae family. The plant is most common in warm parts of the world, especially in the Mediterranean, Southwest and Central Asia. The main producer is still China. After literature review, in my thesis I wanted to present the content of biochemical substances, which is influenced by the variety, geographical location and climatic conditions, ripeness. The largest part of the fruit consists of water (75%), followed by carbohydrates, which account for 5–8% of the dry weight. Among carotenoid esters, zeaxanthin dipalmitate dominates, its content in goji berry ranges from 159 to 540 mg/100 g fresh weight. The content of total phenolics varies from 2,17 mg GAE /g to 4,48 mg GAE /g. The high antioxidant activity is largely due to the content of carotenoids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and vitamin C. The vitamins contained in the fresh fruits are A, E and C. The content of the latter ranges from 40 to 60 mg/100 g, which is comparable to that of lemons. Goji berries have a wide range of uses, they have always been used in traditional Chinese medicine, are a popular ingredient in cooking, are suitable as a dietary supplement and are increasingly used in cosmetic preparations