*Article* **Nutraceutical Properties of Mulberries Grown in Southern Italy (Apulia)**

#### **Carmine Negro \*, Alessio Aprile, Luigi De Bellis and Antonio Miceli**

Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), Salento University, Via Prov. le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy

**\*** Correspondence: carmine.negro@unisalento.it

Received: 11 June 2019; Accepted: 12 July 2019; Published: 16 July 2019

**Abstract:** In this work, for the first time, were analyzed mulberry genotypes grown in Apulia (Southern Italy, Salento region) were analyzed. Two local varieties of *Morus alba* (*cv. Legittimo nero* and *cv. Nello*) and one of *Morus nigra* were characterized for content in simple sugars, organic acids, phenols, anthocyanins; fruit antioxidant activity (AA) was also evaluated by three different methods (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH; 2,2-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), ABTS; and Ferric reducing antioxidant potential, FRAP test). The results showed that the sugars amount ranged between 6.29 and 7.66 g/100 g fresh weight (FW) while the malic and citric acids content was low, at about 0.1–1 g/100 g FW. Mulberries are a good source of phenols which are present in higher values in *M. nigra* and *M. alba cv. Legittimo nero* (485 and 424 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/ 100 g FW, respectively). The high performance liquid chromatography/diode array detector/mass spectrometry (HPLC/DAD/MS) analysis identified 5 main anthocyanin compounds present in different concentrations in each variety of mulberry: cyanidin 3-sophoroside, cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-rutinoside. The highest concentration of anthocyanins was determined in *Morus alba Legittimo* (about 300 mg/100 g FW) while the lowest content (about 25 mg/100 g FW) was measured in *M. alba cv. Nello. Morus nigra* showed a good AA in comparison with the different *M. alba* genotypes with all the used methods; its AA was equal to 33, 26 and 21 μmols Trolox/g FW when using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP tests, respectively. All genotypes showed an anti-inflammatory activity (measured by cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitory assay) which was also compared with two commercial anti-inflammatory drugs. The data obtained support the high biological qualities of mulberry fruits and their diffusion in human nutrition.

**Keywords:** mulberry (*Morus nigra*; *Morus alba*); simple sugars; organic acids; phenol compounds; high performance liquid chromatography/diode array detector/mass spectrometry anthocyanins; antioxidant activity; anti-inflammatory activity
