Mulberry as a Valuable Resource for Food and Pharmaceutical Industries: A Review

Abstract

Mulberry is a fast growing hardy perennial woody plant belonging to the genus Morus of the family Moraceae. There are more than 60 species of the genus Morus found in the subtropical, tropical and temperate regions of Asia, Africa and North America. Cultivation of mulberry is highly economical since the leaf produced by mulberry is extensively used for feeding the silkworm, Bombyx mori for silk production. Mulberry possessing valuable nutritional and phytochemical constituents can serve as highly nutritious food for human with high therapeutic values. Mulberry fruit is rich in carbohydrate, protein and dietary fiber and an important foodstuff for the preparation of several value added items like jams, jellies, wines and syrups. Mulberry leaf has been identified as an excellent resource for the development of protein rich food products with natural antioxidant. Extracts of leaf, stem, twig, root and bark of mulberry are reported to have potential antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycaemic, anticancer and anti-tyrosinase inhibition activity. Though mulberry is grown commercially in many countries for sericulture, its potential to be utilized as food for human consumption is not well recognized. The paper reviews the importance of mulberry as a valuable resource for various food, cosmetic, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.