Açaí                             Goji ("wolfberry")

We're making comparisons of these two “superfruits” in 4 parts

1. macronutrients
2. micronutrients
3. phytochemicals -- phenolics and carotenoids -- TODAY!
4. antioxidant strength and product applications

When two superstars are on stage at the same time, what more can one do than compare their features to see how they stack up against one another?

This is a fascinating contest for looking deeper into açaí (Brazilian palmberry, Euterpe oleracea Mart.) and goji (Chinese wolfberry, Lycium barbarum L.) because each has

1. at one time or another, been called the world's most nutrient-rich plant food and/or

2. been called the most antioxidant-potent food on Earth

3. centuries of use as a medicinal plant by peasants and shamans in their respective land

4. rapidly growing market interest in many countries

5. taste and nutrient qualities making it “exotic” and

included among the emerging “superfruits” (click link)

emphasized for their antioxidant qualities (click link)

6. diverse applications as a "functional" ingredient in new foods and beverages

Click here if you missed Part 1 on Micronutrients

or Part 2 on Macronutrients

Antioxidant Phytochemicals

We've used these terms before but let's review them

(click on the highlighted title for more background)

Antioxidant: a compound that neutralizes oxygen free radicals;

formed naturally in the body or obtained by food

Phytochemical: a "phyto" or plant chemical studied because it has

interesting nutrient or other potential health properties

(although still requiring scientific proof after which it would be called a "nutrient")

Phenolic: a large class of water-soluble pigments (also called "polyphenols")

that give plants colors and serve as antioxidants in plants and animals

Carotenoid: orange-red-yellow pigments with strong antioxidant qualities --

click on the word to review our last essay!

 

Here are some data comparing phytochemicals

	Açaí              (a)	Goji    “Wolfberry”    (b)
Phytochemicals in g per 100 g	Euterpe oleracea	Lycium barbarum
Phenolics
Anthocyanins, mg	319	nm
Proanthocyanidins, mg	1289	nm
Catechin, mg	21	nm
Other flavonoids	numerous	nm
Ellagic acid, mg ^	nm	86
Total phenolics, mg ^	1390	1309
Carotenoids *
Zeaxanthin, mg	nm	162
Lycopene, mg	nm	1.4
Beta-carotene, mg	<5	7.4
Total carotenoids, mg	nm	182

                                a. freeze-dried pulp and skin powder as reported by Schauss et al., 2006
                                b. dried berries as reported by Gross et al., 2006

                                nm, not yet measured
                                ^ Young et al., Discovery of the Ultimate Superfood, 2005, Essential Science Publishing

                                *  not all carotenoid data for goji berries are shown; see chapter 5 in (b)                 

[Note: although different raw material preparations were used for assays of the two berry species,

these data represent a reasonable benchmark for comparing them. The "nm" entries indicate that research is still early on both of these berries. Given their growing popularity, more research is expected in coming years]

The table is just a snapshot but tells us a lot about açaí and goji antioxidant phytochemicals

1. açaí and goji both are rich sources of phenolics although

açaí has been more thoroughly studied in the report by Schauss et al., 2006,

showing most of its phenolics are proanthocyanidins ; the values of total phenolics for both açaí and goji are among the highest reported for berries

2. açaí, possibly the darkest pigmented berry known, is unexpectedly moderate

as a source of anthocyanins, the pigment group usually associated with dark colors of berries

(see Wikipedia anthocyanin reference table)

(açaí is rich in other flavonoids -- wait 'til next week!)

3. goji berries are exceptionally rich in carotenoids whereas

this group of pigments appears not to be important in açaí

4. zeaxanthin, a powerful carotenoid antioxidant, is particularly concentrated in goji

(highest amount measured in edible plants)

dried goji berries ("wolfberries"), rich in carotenoids giving the berries their orange-red pigmentation

From today's report are four distinct phytochemical features differentiating açaí and goji.

As research is just beginning to uncover nutrient and antioxidant features of these two interesting fruits, it shouldn't be long before further comparisons can be made.

So who wins this third round?

Let's give the nod to goji

due to its rich content both of carotenoids and total phenolics,

a rare combination of pigment phytochemicals among berries!

We'll finish the series next time covering antioxidant measurements made to date and

applications of these two fruits in functional foods.

Dr. Paul
The Berry Doctor

References

* information on açaí: 1) The Super Berry Site; 2) Sambazon; 3) Bomdia

* information on goji: The Goji Site

* US Department of Agriculture Carotenoid Database