The Effect of Maturity and Extraction Solvents on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry ( Morus alba ) Fruits and Leaves

Cultivation location, maturity levels, and extraction solvents could affect the bioactive compounds and biological activities of mulberry ( Linnaeus). The lack of study on Malaysia-grown mulberry causes its underutilization. This study investigated the bioactive compound content and the antioxidant activity of Sabah-grown mulberry at two different maturity stages (fruits: red mature and black fully ripe; leaves: young and mature) extracted using 70% ( / ) methanol, 60% ( / ) ethanol, and 65% ( / ) acetone. Analyses showed that mulberry fruits demonstrated maturity-dependent increment (except UHPLC-DAD quantification), while the leaves revealed maturity-dependent reduction. Principal component analysis (PCA) displayed 65% ( / ) acetone black fully ripe fruits as the best phenolics and antioxidant sources. However, the 60% ( / ) ethanol black fully ripe fruits contained 20.08-68.43% higher total anthocyanins. Meanwhile, the 65% ( / ) acetone and 70% ( / ) methanol red mature fruits were higher in chlorogenic acid (27.53-47.12%) and rutin (31.42-35.92%) than other fruit extracts, respectively. For leaves, 65% ( / ) acetone young leaves were the best phenolics and antioxidant sources. However, the 60% ( / ) ethanol young leaves possessed greater chlorogenic acid (19.56-74.11%) than other leaf extracts. Overall, Malaysia-grown mulberry is rich in phenolics and antioxidants, suggesting its potential application in food and pharmaceutical products.