Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(12), 16544-16553; doi:10.3390/ijms131216544
Article

Phenolics and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry Leaves Depend on Cultivar and Harvest Month in Southern China

Yuxiao Zou 1,2 email, Shentai Liao 2 email, Weizhi Shen 2 email, Fan Liu 2 email, Cuiming Tang 2 email, Chung-Yen Oliver Chen 3 email and Yuanming Sun 1,* email
1 College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China 2 Sericulture & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 133 Yiheng ST Dongguanzhuang RD, Guangzhou 510610, China 3 Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, 711 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 12 October 2012; in revised form: 15 November 2012 / Accepted: 23 November 2012 / Published: 5 December 2012
(This article belongs to the Section Bioactives and Nutraceuticals)
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Abstract: To elucidate the effects of cultivar and harvest month on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of mulberry leaves, four major phenolics, including chlorogenic acid (ChA), benzoic acid (BeA), rutin (Rut) and astragalin (Ast), were quantified using an HPLC-UV method. Leaves from six mulberry cultivars, collected from April to October, were analyzed. The antioxidant activity of mulberry leaves was assessed by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HSA) and superoxide radical scavenging activity (SSA) assays. The results showed that the total values of the four phenolic compounds ranged from 2.3 dry weight (DW) to 4.2 mg/g DW, with ChA being the major compound. The mean total phenol (TP) content of the six cultivars ranged from 30.4 equivalents (GAE) mg/g DW to 44.7 GAE mg/g DW. Mulberry leaves harvested in May had the highest TP content. Moreover, the antioxidant activities of mulberry leaves harvested from April to October differed noticeably. In general, Kq 10 and May were considered to be a better cultivar and harvest month concerning phenolic content and antioxidant activity, respectively.
Keywords: phenolics; antioxidant activity; mulberry leaf; cultivar; harvest month

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Zou, Y.; Liao, S.; Shen, W.; Liu, F.; Tang, C.; Chen, C.-Y.O.; Sun, Y. Phenolics and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry Leaves Depend on Cultivar and Harvest Month in Southern China. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13, 16544-16553.

AMA Style

Zou Y, Liao S, Shen W, Liu F, Tang C, Chen C-YO, Sun Y. Phenolics and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry Leaves Depend on Cultivar and Harvest Month in Southern China. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2012; 13(12):16544-16553.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zou, Yuxiao; Liao, Shentai; Shen, Weizhi; Liu, Fan; Tang, Cuiming; Chen, Chung-Yen O.; Sun, Yuanming. 2012. "Phenolics and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry Leaves Depend on Cultivar and Harvest Month in Southern China." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 13, no. 12: 16544-16553.

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