How Does In Vitro Digestion Change the Amount of Phenolics in Morus alba L. Leaf? Analysis of Preparations and Infusions

Abstract

The application of Morus alba L. in traditional oriental medicine and cuisine has resulted in numerous studies on its health-promoting effects. However, if the process is not monitored by the manufacturers, the processing of the leaves alters the obtained health-promoting properties and results in different health qualities in the final composition of dietary supplements. This article aims to analyze changes (using the HPLC/DAD method) in the proposed conditioned mulberry leaves in terms of key compounds (phenolic acids and flavonols) responsible for antioxidant activity after being digested in in vitro conditions. The analyzed material was leaves of white mulberry (Morus alba L.) cv. Żółwińska wielkolistna, conditioned (1–4 h) and non-conditioned. The conditioning process of mulberry proposed here, e.g., for industry production, resulted in variable transformations of polyphenols during in vitro digestion. For many polyphenols, especially those shown in the highest amounts, significant correlations were found between their content and conditioning, as well as the stage of digestion. In the case of mulberry infusions, the amounts of individual polyphenols were several times lower than in the preparations, which was due to the degree of dilution. Their amounts tended to decrease in the course of digestion. Taking this into account, it seems justified to continue research on the in vivo bioavailability of bioactive components from conditioned Morus alba L. leaves.