Moringa oleifera, Lycium barbarum: A Perspective on New Sources of Phytochemicals, Lipids and Proteins

The current return to the “natural” represents a great social, cultural, economic and scientific theme for the time. There is greater attention to what nature can offer both from nutritional and healthcare sides. The possibility of healing “by eating” represents the new frontier of science that offers health foods or plant extracts with multiple biological activities. The new concept of nutraceutical product goes in this direction by merging the classic term “nutrition” with that of “health”. There are many opportunities that come from the plant world. Scientific research, in fact, has highlighted the nutritional power of many crops capable, for example, of providing protein material alternative to that of animal origin, or of providing lipid material rich in essential fatty acids. In this chapter these issues are addressed, providing an overview of two important crops that have recently gained much attention from the scientific world: Lycium barbarum L. and Moringa oleifera Lam. as a new source of phytochemicals, lipids, and proteins.