Study of the resource potential of Morus alba and Morus nigra seeds in Dagestan conditions

Introduction. This paper presents for the first time the results of studying the biologically active compounds of the seeds of two species of fruits: Morus nigra (Hartut) and Morus alba (white-fruited, pink fruited, black-fruited). Mulberry (Morus L) is a medicinal plant with high resource potential. Botanical parts of the plant are used in the food, medical, pharmaceutical industries and phyto-chemistry, and are also used in traditional and alternative medicine for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Conducting an analysis of the nutraceutical components, efficiency in the seeds of Morus fruits, determining the appropriate use as ingredients in production, seems relevant, which can have both fundamental, biological and applied significance. Aim. Studying the resource potential of the seeds of two species of fruits Morus alba and Morus nigra growing in identical ecological and geographical conditions of Dagestan. The material of the study is the seeds of the fruits of polymorphic Morus alba and Morus nigra (Hartut). The fruits for the study were collected on the outskirts of Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan, during their full ripening (June). Research methods. The qualitative and quantitative elemental composition was determined by the atomic absorption method during spraying in an acetylene-air flame using a SavantAA Σ atomic absorption analyzer (GBC Scientific Equipment Pty Ltd., Australia). The method is based on the mineralization of the product by dry or wet ashing and determination of the concentration of elements in the mineralized solution by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The quantitative content of elements was expressed in mg/%. (MU 01-19/47-11). Water soluble vitamins were determined on a Kapel-105M device (OOO Lumex-Marketing, Russia), by capillary electrophoresis, based on the migration and separation of ions of the analyzed components under the influence of an electric field of 25 kV with subsequent registration at λ = 200 nm. The accumulation of water-soluble vitamins was expressed in mg/%. The concentrations of sugars and organic acids were determined using the Kapel 105M capillary electrophoresis system (LLC Lumex-Marketing, Russia). Organic acids were measured using a high-voltage source of negative polarity at 20 kV, λ = 254 nm. Conclusions. The studies showed that the seeds of Morus L. fruits – M. nigra (Hartut) and M. alba contain biological components necessary for the body. The value of M. nigra (Hartut) and M. alba seeds was revealed due to the accumulation of the main and key vitamin C in the samples of M. alba (white-fruited) 15.5 mg/%, M. alba (black-fruited) 14.4 mg/%, and vitamin B9 in M. alba (white-fruited) 4.52 mg/%, M. alba (black-fruited) 4.0 mg/%, rich mineral composition, significant organic acids and the content of natural sugars. Inter-specific and intra-specific differences were found in the seeds of Morus L. fruits growing in the same soil and climatic conditions, where the M. alba seed sample (white-fruited) was predominant in terms of high indicators. For the first time, the obtained data allow us to call the seeds of M. alba and M. nigra (Hartut) - a secondary product formed during the processing of mulberry fruits, a valuable source of natural compounds necessary for the body for the normal development of life processes.