Strange Fruit, Part 6

Today, fellow fruitaceutically minded Netziens of all things food, we take a look inside that tiny mountainous fruit goji berry, also known as wolfberry, if only to show that the superfood world has not taken some sort of strangely Amazonian-Ptolemaic turn and begun to solely rotate around South America.

Although the term wolfberry was until recently a more-common term for these Tibetan treasures, “goji berry” has surfaced of late, particularly in the health-food segment (perhaps as a derivation of gouqizi the Chinese name for the fruit). The little red berries produced by the Lycium barbarum and L. chinense plants have long been associated with traditional Chinese medicine and have a stellar reputation in Asia—and for good reason. According to a recent flyer I picked up at a food show distributed by Bell Flavors & Fragrances, the fruit contain: 19 amino acids (including all essential amino acids), 21 trace minerals (including germanium, a trace mineral rarely found in food; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanium), lots of antioxidants (including beta carotene, and zeaxanthin), lots of vitamin C, some B-complex vitamins and some E, beta-sitosterol (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-sitosterol), fatty acids, alpha-cyperone (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_rotundus, near the end under “Uses and positive aspects”), solavetivone (an antifungal and antibacterial compound), physalin (inhibits leukemia) and betaine (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betaine). To get the whole picture, I recommend consulting the great truly representative democracy of our times, Wikipedia (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry).

Much ado surrounds these little berries—but you might already know how I feel about magic bullets and captured leprechauns. They look to deliver much in the way of healthful characteristics, but let’s see how different ingredients fare under the sometimes-harsh realities of processing. Considering some claims of goji related to cancer, I would bet yuan to yóu tiáo that studies will prove forthcoming. I also look forward to more-standardized availability of fresh product. From what I hear, a good portion of available goji these days is dried, which undoubtedly compromises the integrity of the fruit’s flavor.

In the meantime, “goji” on the label—likely in minimally processed products like some types of juices—will still garner consumer attention even without clinical proof of efficacy.

What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been
Click the following to track the trail of this wandering voyage through the emerging fruits of our ethnobotanical universe: http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=6ah4122943.html&m=art
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=6ah13144341.html&m=art
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=6ah23125355.html&m=art
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=6ah24112740.html&m=art
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=6bh9194236.html&m=art
And, children of countless trees and boundless seas, a visit to all things fruitaceutical nicely rounds out this strange trip: http://www.foodproductdesign.com/blogs/doug/blogdefault.aspx?a=68h9153012.html&m=art.

And this trip isn’t over yet … in fact, it never ends… Stay tuned for future installments where we examine the fruits that will continue to drive new-product development.