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. 2025 Apr 10;30(8):1703.
doi: 10.3390/molecules30081703.

Fermentation of Pediococcus pentosaceus JC30 Improves Phytochemical, Flavor Characteristics and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry Leaves

Caiyan Meng  1 , Jiawen Xie  1 , Jiaqi Chen  1 , Jiajia Xuan  1 , Zhuoying Zeng  1 , Minghua Lai  1 , Xuerui Kang  1 , Jiayun Li  1 , Guanhui Liu  2 , Jie Tu  1 , Hongxun Tao  3
Affiliations

Fermentation of Pediococcus pentosaceus JC30 Improves Phytochemical, Flavor Characteristics and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry Leaves

Caiyan Meng et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Mulberry leaves contain polysaccharides, phenols, alkaloids, and other active ingredients which have medicinal and edible value. In this study, fermented mulberry leaf powder was prepared by solid-state fermentation using Pediococcus pentosaceus JC30. The effects of the fermentation on the phytochemical, flavor characteristics, phenolics, and antioxidant activity of mulberry leaves were studied. The results showed that the content of γ-aminobutyric acid in fermented mulberry leaf powder (FMLP) increased by 6.73-fold and the content of phytic acid decreased by 11.16%. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) analysis showed that the fermentation of Pediococcus pentosaceus JC30 altered the phenolic composition of mulberry leaves, increasing the total free phenolic content by 88.43%. In particular, the contents of free phenols such as leucocyanidin, myricetin, and quercetin increased significantly and were positively correlated with antioxidant capacity. The fermentation of Pediococcus pentosaceus JC30 significantly enhanced the scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and the total reducing ability of mulberry leaves. Gas chromatography ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) analysis showed that FMLP has an intense fruity and floral aroma, while having less grassy and earthy odor. The fermentation improved the phytochemical, flavor, and nutritional value of mulberry leaves, which provides more possibilities for the development of mulberry leaf products outside the sericulture industry.

Keywords: Pediococcus pentosaceus JC30; antioxidant activity; bioactive compounds; mulberry leaves; volatile compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of SSF on the pH and TTA of mulberry leaf powder.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of SSF on the chemical compositions of mulberry leaf powder. (A) GABA content. (B) Total sugar content. (C) Total phenolic content. (D) Total flavonoids content. (E) Phytic acid content. Different letters indicate a significant difference, with p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of SSF on the antioxidant activities of mulberry leaves. (A) DPPH radical scavenging activity. (B) Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (•OH). (C) Total reducing power (TRP).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heat map of the Pearson correction coefficient for the heat map of the phenolic profile and antioxidant activities. * Correlation is significant at p ≤ 0.05. ** Correlation is significant at p ≤ 0.01.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Spectrogram of GC-IMS. (A) Three-dimensional topographic plot. (B) Two-dimensional difference plot. The background is blue, and the red vertical line is the normalized reaction ion peak.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Volatile compounds observed by GC-IMS. (A) Peak intensities of total volatile compounds. (B) Changes in the content of volatile compounds before and after fermentation. (C) Gallery plots indicating the variations in VOCs’ relative content among the two groups. The color represents the concentration of the substance. Blue and red colors underline over- and under- expressed components.
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