The American Goji (Lycium barbarum): Generalities and Biotechnological Perspectives

Description

Goji berries, are the fruit of two closely related species: Lycium chinense Mill and Lycium barbarum L. both species are native to China and have been cultivated for centuries for their medicinal and nutritional properties. Goji plants have great importance and application in medicine, cooking, and their fruit can be eaten fresh or dried. The aim of this book is to describe characteristics and properties of the species L. barbarum L., as well as address relevant aspects of biotechnology, molecular biology and antioxidant compounds and phytochemistry. The genus Lycium is a diverse group of plants that belongs to the Solanaceae family; it comprises approximately 100 species, distributed worldwide and widely spread across various regions of the world. Plants are commonly propagated via seed, but it can be challenging due to slow germination and low rooting percentages when using cuttings, so using micropropagation techniques is a more efficient way. Progress has been made in this direction with the establishment of multiplication protocols from different explants, and with the use of temporary immersion systems, which increase the efficiency of the process. The use of barcode markers and amplification refractory mutation system has been useful in the identification of Lycium species. Polysaccharides are the predominant compounds in Goji berries, but they also contain carotenoids, flavonoids, organic acids, phenolic compounds, lipids and other substances in number greater than 350. It has been shown that a good part of these compounds have beneficial properties for the human health.