Fructus mori: An Updated Review on Botany, Phytonutrient, Detection, Bioactivity, Quality Marker, and Application

Background: Fructus mori (mulberry) is not only a delicious fruit with rich phytonutrients and health functions but also a medicinal plant with many clinical therapeutic values for tonifying kidneys and consolidating essence, making hair black and eyes bright. Methods: The related references about F. mori in this review from 1996 to 2022 had been collected from both online and offline databases, including PubMed, Elsevier, SciFinder, Willy, SciHub, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, ACS publications, and CNKI. The other information was acquired from ancient books and classical works about F. mori. Results: An updated summary of phytonutrients from F. mori was listed as fellows: flavonoids (1-20) (23.5%), phenolic acids (21-34) 16.5%), alkaloids (35-75) (48.2%), polysaccharides (76- 78) (3.5%), other compounds (79-85) (8.3%). The above chemical components were detected by TLC, UV-Vis, HPLC, GC-MS, and AAS methods for their quality standards. The various bioactivities (hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-cancer, and other activities) of mulberry are summarized and discussed in this review, which laid an important basis for analyzing their mechanisms and quality markers. This review summarized its applications for vinegar, wine, yogurt, drink, jelly, and sweetmeat in food fields, and the existing problems and future development directions are also discussed in this review. Conclusions: This review made a comprehensive description of F. mori, including botany, phytonutrient, detection, bioactivity, quality marker, and application. It will not only provide some important clues for further studying F. mori, but also provide some valuable suggestions for in-depth research and development of F. mori.