Nutritional and functional components of mulberry leaves from different varieties: Evaluation of their potential as food materials

Abstract

Mulberry leaves had been used as material of medicine, drink, and functional foods in many countries, but the variety suitability for different applications is still not clear. In this study, the nutritional and phytochemical components of mulberry tender shoots from 19 varieties in China were investigated. Obvious genotypic diversity was observed in all the assessed components. The contents of crude protein (CP), total soluble sugars (TSS), crude fiber (CF), 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), total phenolic (TP), and total flavonoid content (TF) were 27.63-37.36 g/100 g dry weight (DW), 58.71-150.31 mg/g DW, 9.90-13.85 g/100 g DW, 0.08-1.12 mg/g DW, 8.76-20.26 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g DW, and 21.36-56.41 mg rutin equivalents (RE)/g DW, respectively. Chlorogenic acid, rutin, isoquercitrin, and astragalin were considered to be mainly potential antioxidant compounds in mulberry leaves. According to the result of correlational analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), the NS14 variety had high comprehensive healthy properties. GS8, D10, XS, TP2, and DHS could be appropriate materials for functional food or drink because of high content of phenolics or DNJ. Some varieties may have a potential application as protein-rich vegetables. The study suggests that some variety of mulberry could be selected and utilized rationally for their dietary properties. ARTICLE HISTORY

The Effect of Adding the Leaves and Fruits of Morus alba to Rape Honey on Its Antioxidant Properties, Polyphenolic Profile, and Amylase Activity

“…These compounds are the dominant secondary metabolites of mulberry, which was confirmed by literature reports [19][20][21]. However, Yu et al [8], based on HPLC-MS analysis among 19 tested mulberry cultivars, selected only six that exhibited a high polyphenolics content, resulting in a high antioxidant activity of leaf extracts. Similar to our findings, chlorogenic acid was indicated as the predominant phenolic compound, ranging from 2.45 to 10.24 mg/g DW, while isoquercitrin and rutin were the most abundant flavonoid glycosides (0.70-4.83 and 0.42-4.31 mg/g DW, respectively) in mulberry leaves [8].…”

“…However, Yu et al [8], based on HPLC-MS analysis among 19 tested mulberry cultivars, selected only six that exhibited a high polyphenolics content, resulting in a high antioxidant activity of leaf extracts. Similar to our findings, chlorogenic acid was indicated as the predominant phenolic compound, ranging from 2.45 to 10.24 mg/g DW, while isoquercitrin and rutin were the most abundant flavonoid glycosides (0.70-4.83 and 0.42-4.31 mg/g DW, respectively) in mulberry leaves [8]. For the mulberry leaves, the content of chlorogenic acid ranged from 1.5 to 4.31 mg/g, whereas isoquercitrin and rutin in amounts of 0.09−0.36 and 0.33−0.91 mg/g, respectively, were determined.…”

Effect of cellulase and Lactobacillus casei on ensiling characteristics, chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and digestibility of mulberry leaf silage

“…Furthermore, it is documented that the digestible energy and CP value of mulberry leaves could be as high as those of alfalfa hay (Doran and Laca, 2007), and they could partially substitute for expensive supplements in bovine diets with little damage to animal performance (Habib et al, 2016;Alpízar-Naranjo et al, 2017;Tesfay et al, 2018). Meanwhile, the mulberry plant is a conventional herb with multiple pharmacological functions (Thaipitakwong et al, 2018;Yu et al, 2018). The presence of phytochemicals such as phenols (flavonoids, chlorogenic acid) and alkaloids (1-deoxynojirimycin and fagomine) endows mulberry leaves with various biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, and antioxidant activities (Zhang et al, 2018).…”

Determination of 1-Deoxynojirimycin Content and Phytochemical Profiles from Young and Mature Mulberry Leaves of Morus Spp.

“…These peaks might represent the other constituents such as limonene, benzoic acids, flavonoid derivatives, anthocyanins and polyphenols. Mulberry leaves are believed can be used as potential food materials due to their nutritional and functional components (Yu et al, 2018). Mulberry is also known to have fatty acid (linolenic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid) content.…”

“…All HPLC chromatogram showed the highest peak on retention time at 4.4 minutes, where this peak was presumed to belong l-limonene. These constituent compositions may vary according to different ecological conditions (Yu et al, 2018).…”