Phenolic profile of Morus alba L. (mulberry) barrel staves

Abstract

One of the most important practices in the production of some alcoholic beverages is ageing process. During that process, important changes occur, which results in improved sensory characteristics. The phenolic fraction was considered to be one of the most important parameters for evaluating quality in the choice of good alternative aging wood [3]. So far, mulberry heartwood hasn’t been investigated too much in order to characterize polyphenols. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate phenolic profile of industrially dried mulberry staves originating from Serbia. The results showed that mulberry was abundant in oxyresveratrol, taxifolin, (- )-catechin gallate, and phenolic acids, such as protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic and ellagic acid. Characteristic emission spectrum of the wood sample showed the maximum at 420 nm, being blue shifted comparing with the maxima of most hard- and soft- wood species. This may be addressed to a relatively low content of lignin in mulberry wood. The extract showed a maximum characteristic for the major polyphenols of oxyresveratrol and coumarin type.