Goji berry fruit (Lycium spp.): antioxidant compound fingerprint and bioactivity evaluation

• The antioxidants in goji berry fruits might confer many health protective benefits.
• Goji is recently considered as functional food thanks to its antioxidant properties.
• Analytical fingerprint may be useful to better understand the nutraceutical traits.

The antioxidants in goji berry (Lycium spp.) fruits might confer many health protective benefits by alleviating oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to describe quality traits and the level of potentially bioactive compounds (HPLC fingerprint) and their influence on fruit phytocomplex and antioxidant activity in goji in comparison with the most common fruits. Goji berry was identified as a rich source of antioxidant compounds, with health-promoting properties comparable with other common fruit species. The obtained fingerprint may be useful to better understand the nutraceutical traits of this species recently considered as functional food thanks to its antioxidant properties.