Author(s)

Fan Wu

Corresponding Author

Fan Wu

ABSTRACT

Mulberry leaves, is frequently used as a specific medication or functional diet to treat chronic disorders. The heat-sensitive ingredients, such as flavonoids, would be damaged during the drying operation. Therefore, it is improtant to investigate the drying behaviou of the mulberry leaves, but only a few studies devoted to this topic. The drying behavior of mulberry leaves during hot air drying, as well as the quantity of flavonoids in mulberry leaves under various drying parameters and their effect on α-glucosidase inhibitory efficiency, were investigated in this work. The Lewis model was used to simulate the change in moisture content of mulberry leaves during the drying process. The total flavonoids content of mulberry leaves continued to decrease along with the drying temperature and time. The flavonoids concentration in mulberry leaves was reduced by 1.372 % and 1.740 %, respectively, when dried at 40°C and 60°C for 240 minutes. Meanwhile, the lower temperature (40°C) would have a greater impact on the overall number of flavonoids in the mulberry leaves. The drying factors had a minor impact on the α-glucosidase inhibitory rate. This paper will serve as a theoretical foundation for the high-value utilization of mulberry leaf resources.

KEYWORDS

Mulberry leaves, Hot-air drying, Flavonoids, α-glucosidase inhibitory efficiency, Diabetes