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Mulberry leaf extract (MLE) was used to enhance the functionality of yogurt. Yogurt was fermented with 15% MLE prepared using different thermal treatment methods: no treatment (MY), steamed (SMY), and roasted (RMY). The controls were yogurt with no MLE (Y) and green tea extract (GY). Yogurt acidity was not significantly different among the samples after 8 hr of fermentation. Lactobacilli count was higher in MLE yogurts, with the thermal treatment method not impacting the count. MLE yogurts had high total anthocyanin, phenolic, and flavonoid contents and increased DPPH scavenging capacity. RMY showed the highest α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity. MY had higher scores for MLE flavor, sourness, and astringency than Y. However, RMY had improved scores for sourness and astringency and high scores for sweetness and overall acceptability, which were higher than that of GY. Roasted mulberry leaf extract therefore has potential as a health supplement for food. Practical applications: Mulberry leaves have been used as silkworm feed and in traditional medicine in Asia because of their high nutrient content and functional properties. However, the use of mulberry leaves as a food additive has been limited due to their unique aroma and bitter taste. To evaluate the potential application of mulberry leaf extract as a supplement in yogurt, thermal treatments of mulberry leavers were performed prior to extraction. Steamed and roasted mulberry leaves had a reduced off‐flavor and less of a bitter taste, and improved the functionality of yogurt, namely, antioxidant capacity and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity. In particular, roasted mulberry leaf extract had higher functionality and better sensory score than green tea extract, which is used as an additive in commercial products, making it a better supplement for fortified yogurt products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mulberry (Morus australis Poir.) leaves have long been consumed in the form of tea or tincture especially in Asia, owing to their high antioxidant and blood pressure‐regulating properties. Although it is thought that vascular abnormal contraction may be involved in the blood pressure‐suppressing effect, the effect of mulberry on vascular abnormal contraction is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated mulberry leaves as a potential source of bioactive compounds that prevent vascular abnormal contraction. Mulberry leaves were divided into fresh leaves and tea leaves and further classified according to the age of the tree: more or less than 20 years old, into roasted and unroasted. Mulberry fruits were also evaluated. We assessed the preventive effect of mulberry extracts on vascular abnormal contraction. Extracts from mulberry leaves of trees more than 20 years old showed a strong preventive effect on vascular abnormal contraction of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells. Therefore, to identify the active components in mulberry leaves, we fractionated the active fractions by gel filtration chromatography and reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography. The active fraction was further analyzed by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance; an active component of the mulberry leaf extract was fisetin. In addition, our results indicated that the hydroxyl group at the C‐3 position of fisetin is crucial for its activity. These results prove that fisetin is effective in preventing vascular abnormal contraction. Overall, mulberry leaves and fisetin are expected to be used in a wide range of fields such as functional foods, nutraceuticals, and drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mulberry leaves contain various bioactive constituents and are widely used as traditional medicine and food in Asia. In this study, mulberry leaves were processed by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using a mixture microbial of Lactobacillus plantarum , Candida utilis , Trichoderma koningii , and Bacillus cereus. The effects of SSF on the metabolite profile, antioxidant activity, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (GIA) of mulberry leaves were investigated. UPLC–QQQ–MS/MS-based widely targeted metabolomic analysis showed the detection of 11 classes of metabolites. SSF drastically influenced the metabolites of mulberry leaves. A total of 441 differential metabolites were identified after SSF, with 165 metabolites remarkably up-regulated and 276 metabolites of mulberry leaves drastically down-regulated during fermentation. The main types of differential metabolites were phenolic acids and flavonoids. Furthermore, SSF significantly increased the levels of total phenolics and flavonoids, and enhanced the scavenging activities of DPPH radical and ABTS·+, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating ability, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of mulberry leaves. In conclusion, our study revealed that SSF remarkably improved the phytochemical components of mulberry leaves, thereby contributing to the enhancement of antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. [Display omitted] • Metabolites of mulberry leaves by SSF were firstly determined by UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. • 441 differential metabolites were identified during SSF of mulberry leaves. • Phenolic acids and flavonoids are the two largest classes of differential metabolites. • TPC and TFC of mulberry leaves were remarkably increased during SSF. • SSF significantly enhanced the antioxidant activity and GIA of mulberry leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective】 Mulberry ring rot disease is one of the major fungal diseases affecting sericulture production in Asia. Studying the fun¬gal community structure in and around different areas of mulberry ring rot disease can help to reveal the pathogenic mechanism of mulberry ring rot disease and provide theoretical and data basis for the prevention and control of mulberry ring rot disease.【Method(The community structure of fungi in the core area (H zone )，the edge area (L zone) and the non-pathogenic area (Nzone) around the lesion of mulberry ring rot was studied by high-throughput sequencing.【Result】 The results showed that there were significant differences in fungal community structure among H，L and N regions. At species level，the relative abundance of Pnatophragmium triuniae in H，L and N regions ranked the highest，96.25 '，96.95 ' and 31.29 ' respectively. In addition，the relative abundance of Myrothecium roridum in H region was 1.04 '，which was 2. 17 times higher than that in L region.【Conclusion 】The above results indicate that the formation process of mulberry ring rot disease is complex，and the appearance，enlargement and perforation of the lesions involve the interaction of various fungi [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mulberry (Morus sp.) fruit is noted for its yield during a fruiting season and a long history of usage as an edible fruit coupled with its medicinal qualities, particularly in Asia. However, its rapid postharvest decay has raised major concerns about the sustainability of the fruit both for food and economic purpose. For reasonably solid evaluations of postharvest preservations of produces, consideration must be committed to the viability of different control measures. In this review, we first highlight the nutritional composition of the fruit and some factors contributing to its rapid decay. Some alternative means of postharvest management including physical, chemical and biological procedures involved in preserving the fruit will be reviewed. Finally, the influence of management practices on the quality traits of the fruit will be summarized. The search for increasingly natural and sound sustenance products, based on insignificantly handled practices has brought about an expansion in customer necessities for safe and quality products, hence this review is focused on the preservation methods that are suitable to extend the shelf life of mulberry fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mulberry is an economic tree being cultivated in China, India and several other Asian countries to feed the silkworm, Bombyx mori, as mulberry leaf is the only food material available for this insect. The recent burst in the industrialization and urbanization has considerably reduced the availability of land for agriculture purposes in these Asian countries. This, in turn, has added much pressure on many agro-based industries, including sericulture, to utilize the hitherto unutilized or marginally utilized areas for crop production. Sericulture, a rural agro-based industry, is attempting to expand mulberry cultivation to drought- and salinity-affected lands. Mulberry is only moderately tolerant to salinity and drought stresses, thus utilization of natural variations in stress tolerance does not hold much promise. Therefore, efforts are being taken to develop stress-tolerant varieties using modern biotechnological methods, including transgenesis. This paper provides an overview of the progress made to achieve this latter goal, highlighting the problems and prospects. Different methodologies used to achieve transgenic mulberry, their merits and demerits are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: The quality of muscle plays an important role in improving the economic benefit of aquatic products. The paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, BP) grows wildly in the south of Asia. In this experiment, grass carps (initial weight: 50.0 ± 0.5 g) were fed diets with the addition of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% BP in a control diet (crude protein: 31%, crude fat: 3.8%) for 8 weeks. In conclusion, adding 5% BP did not affect the growth of grass carp. However, the supplementation of 10% BP could improve muscle quality through improving muscle hardness, reducing fat accumulation and muscle fiber diameter, at the cost of reducing growth performance. The present study investigated the effects of dietary paper mulberry (Broussonetia Papyrifera, BP) on growth performance, muscle quality and muscle growth-related mRNA expressions of grass carp. Fish (initial weight: 50.0 ± 0.5 g) were fed diets supplemented with 0% (control diet), 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% BP for 8 weeks. The results showed that increasing levels of paper mulberry linearly and quadratically decreased the special gain rate (SGR) and increased the feed conversion rate (FCR) of grass carp (p < 0.05). Significantly positive quadratic trends were found between paper mulberry levels and muscle crude fat or crude protein of grass carp (p < 0.05). In comparison to the control diet, the 10%BP and 15%BP groups had significantly decreased muscle crude fat and increased crude protein (p < 0.05). The levels of paper mulberry resulted in a linear and quadratic increase in water loss of grass carp muscle (p < 0.05), and all groups with paper mulberry supplementation were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). Significant positive linear and quadratic trends were found between the paper mulberry levels and muscle fiber diameter or density of grass carp (p < 0.05). In comparison to the control diet, the significant differences were found in the 15%BP and 20%BP groups (p < 0.05). The muscle adhesiveness and hardness linearly and quadratically increased with the increasing levels of paper mulberry (p < 0.05), and both of which increased significantly when the level of paper mulberry reached 10% (p < 0.05). In addition, the increase in paper mulberry linearly and quadratically improved the expressions of myoblast determination protein (MyoD), myogenin (MyoG), paired box protein 7 (Pax7) and myostatin 1 (MSTN1) (p < 0.05). When the supplementation of paper mulberry reached 15%, the expressions of all these mRNAs were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). In summary, adding 5% paper mulberry did not affect the growth of grass carp. However, the supplementation of 10% paper mulberry could improve muscle quality through improving muscle hardness, reducing fat accumulation and muscle fiber diameter, at the cost of reducing growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, PM) is a potential roughage source widely distributed in Asia, but the chemical composition, silage fermentation, and digestibility are not fully understood. Here, we compared the chemical composition, silage fermentation, and digestibility of leaf, stem, and whole plant of PM to evaluate its feeding value. The result showed that the leaf had lower fiber content and higher protein content than the stem and whole plant. Meanwhile, the stem silage had the lowest pH value and lactate content, while those in the leaf were the highest. The in vitro and in situ digestibility showed the leaf was more digestible. Our study gives the reference of different parts of PM to be used as a feedstuff. Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, PM) is high protein but unutilized as a feed source. The study explores the different parts (leaf, stem, and whole plant) of PM chemical composition, silage fermentation, and in vitro and in situ digestibility, aiming to give some guidelines to PM usage as feed. The result showed that the leaf had a higher fresh weight than the stem (p < 0.05). The dry matter contents of the three groups had no differences. The highest crude protein, ether extract, water-soluble carbohydrate, ash, calcium, phosphorus, amino acid contents, and butter capacity were observed in the leaf (p < 0.05). The stem had the highest (p < 0.05) neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and lignin contents. After ensiling, the stem silage had the lowest pH value, ammonia nitrate (NH3-N), lactate, acetate, and propionate (p < 0.05). The leaf silage had the highest pH value (p < 0.05). The lactate, acetate, and propionate in the leaf and whole plant silage had no difference. The butyrate was not detected in all silage. The in vitro and in situ digestibility experiments showed the leaf had the highest digestibility (p < 0.05), which could produce more volatile fatty acids and have a higher effective digestibility. These results allow a greater understanding of PM to be used as a feedstuff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera; PM) is a type of roughage rich in bioactive substances, such as phenolics and flavonoids, which are beneficial for animal health. This study evaluated the apparent digestibility of PM silage in Holstein dairy cows and its effect on the milk production, antioxidant capacity, and fecal bacteria composition of the animals. The results showed that the PM silage had no significant influence on the milk yield, apparent digestibility, and fecal bacteria composition of dairy cows. However, diets with PM silage can enhance the antioxidant and immune capacity of dairy cows, mainly due to the bioactive substance in PM. Today, faced with a shortage of feedstuff resources in ruminants, PM can be a useful feed resource for ruminants. Simultaneously, with the ban on antibiotics, PM may become an important functional feed for protecting animal health. Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera; PM) is an excellent and extensive type of roughage in Asia. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PM silage on the milk production, apparent digestibility, antioxidant capacity, and fecal bacteria composition in Holstein dairy cows. Forty-five lactating Holstein dairy cows with a similar milk yield and parity were selected and randomly assigned to three groups. The control group was fed a non-PM silage diet, and the PM-treated groups were fed 4.5 and 9.0% PM silage supplementary diets for 28 days. Then, treatment groups were fed diets containing 13.5 and 18.0% PM silage for the next 28 days, respectively. PM silage increased the milk urea nitrogen and decreased the somatic cell count (p < 0.05), but did not affect the dry matter intake, milk yield, apparent digestibility, and energy balance of dairy cows. PM silage can enhance the blood total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and immune globulin content (p < 0.05). The PM silage significantly decreased the relative abundance of the genera Ruminococcaceae UCG-013 and Tyzzerella-4 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, PM silage enhanced the antioxidant capacity and immunity of dairy cows, but did not influence the milk yield, dry matter digestibility, and fecal bacteria composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a major health problem in most countries of the world. DM causes many complications, including hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and death. In Asia, mulberry has been used widely in the treatment of DM. Combination of drugs with herbal medicine may reduce the unwanted side effects caused by drugs. In this study, the influence of extended mulberry leaves extract (MLE) intake on metformin (Met) was evaluated in terms of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in DM-induced rats. Three week-treatment of MLE alone produced the anti-hyperglycemic effect (around 24%) if compared to the control. Interestingly, Met administration after MLE treatment for 3 weeks enhanced about 49% of the anti-hyperglycemic effect of Met. In addition, the extended intake of MLE potentiated the anti-hyperglycemic effect of Met on various concentrations. This potentiated anti-hyperglycemic effect of Met appears to be due to the pharmacokinetic change of Met. In this study, 3 week-treatment of MLE reduced the elimination of Met in DM-induced rats. In addition, MLE reduced the human organic cation transporter 2 (hOCT2) activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, these findings suggest that MLE lowered the elimination of Met via inhibiting the hOCT2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]