1.5 Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides are the main active bioactive components of mulberry
leaves. Polysaccharides are long-chain macromolecular polymers that are
generally used as thickeners and gelling agents in the food industry
because of their ability to retain water and form hydrogels. These
mulberry leaf polysaccharides have received increasing attention because
of their multiple biological activities. These polysaccharides promote
insulin expression and regulate liver glucose metabolism [18]. In
mulberry leaves, polysaccharides are mainly present in the inner
epidermal cells [19]. Glucose, galactose, arabinose, fructose,
xylose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, mannose, and
sorbose are monosaccharides that combine with each other and form many
types of polysaccharides in mulberry leaves [20].