Antioxidant composition and antioxidant activity of white (Morus alba L.), black (Morus nigra L.) and red (Morus rubra L.) mulberry leaves

In this study, the antioxidant composition of white (Morus alba L.), black (Morus nigra L.) and red (Morus rubra L.) mulberry leaves grown in the southern region of Tunisia is investigated. The highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents are observed in red mulberry leaves (994.3 mg gallic acid equivalents / 100 g of dry matter and 789.7 mg rutin equivalents /100 g of dry matter, respectively). M. nigra leaves have the highest total anthocyanins amount (7.3 mg / 100 g of dry matter), however M. rubra has the lowest content (5.8 mg / 100 g of dry matter). The total carotenoids content is between 31 and 97.9 mg / 100 g of fresh matter. In fact, the diphenyl-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of methanol leaves extracts of the three mulberry species show varying degrees of efficacy in a dose-dependent manner. The best antioxidant effect is recorded in M. rubra extract (IC50 = 94.7 mu g/ml).