Research and development of Lycium barbarum compound beverage and preliminary verification of its efficacy

Abstract

Lycium barbarum contains a variety of phytochemicals, primarily polysaccharides, and other potent compounds. L. barbarum is a plant that has several uses in contemporary society, including food processing and everyday eating. However, through traditional processing methods the medicinal or edible value of L. barbarum cannot be fully exploited, to further improve the utilisation rate of L. barbarum and enrich the variety of L. barbarum market. The L. barbarum compound beverage, which uses L. barbarum as its primary ingredient, was created through a series of trials, including the creation of tea beverage recipes and research on the most suitable content of stabilisers, flavouring agent formulations and so on. In addition, several validation tests, including those involving hypoglycaemic and lipid-lowering were conducted. The results indicated that 0.1 g mL−1 stabiliser CMC-Na, 0.2 g mL−1 erythritol, 3 g mL−1 citric acid, 8% L. barbarum juice, and 6% chrysanthemum tea cold brew extract were the best combinations for food additive formulations. Additionally, compound beverages have hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering effects. In conclusion, the research and development of L. barbarum compound beverages can not only increase the rate at which L. barbarum is utilised but also offer fresh ideas for the research and development of L. barbarum as they transition from cash crop agricultural products to market-oriented standardised processed products.