1.1 Nutritional values Mulberry leaves
The main components of mulberry leaves with pharmacological properties are phenols, polysaccharides, steroids, amino acids, lignins, and volatile components. The leaves of mulberry are also a good source of ascorbic acid. It contains carotene, vitamin B1, folic acid, folinic acid, and vitamin D. The nutritional composition of mulberry leaves in dry condition is 15.31-30.91% protein, 2.09-7.92% fat, 9.9-13.85% crude fiber, 27.60-43.6% neutral dietary fiber (NDF) and 11.3-17.24% ash [9]. Evidence suggests that mulberry leaves also contain some additional therapeutic agents such as Moran 20k and 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) as antidiabetic agents, and isoprene-substituted flavanones such as Kuwanon C and kuwanon as antimicrobial agents [10,11]. The nutritional values are shown in Figure 1.