Development and evaluation of Butterfly pea concentrate using Clitoria ternatea L. flower extract

Clitoria ternatea L., Aparajita in Sanskrit and Butterfly pea flower commonly, is a perennial leguminous plant in the Fabaceae family, recognized in Ayurvedic medicine for its cognitive benefits and sedative properties.This study explored the phytochemical profile of C. ternatea flowers and the formulation of syrups (S1, S2, S3) derived from them.It assessed the syrup's nutritional composition, sensory attributes, and antioxidant activity.Phytochemical screening demonstrated that flavonoids were present in all extracts, with the aqueous extract exhibiting the strongest presence, alongside exclusive detection of saponins and amino acids in the aqueous solvent.Nutritional analysis revealed that flower syrups have significantly lower moisture content (37.74% to 40.87%) compared to dried flowers (92.4%) while showing greater ash, carbohydrate (48.90 g to 51.6 g), and protein content (up to 6.75 g) than the flowers.Syrups also provided higher energy content (201.53 kcal to 236.21 kcal) suitable for energyboosting applications.Sensory evaluation indicated that S3 outperformed others in appearance, flavour, aroma, and consistency, making it the most appealing option.Antioxidant assays revealed that the flower extract had the highest total phenolic content (640.6 mg GAE/g) and scavenging activity in the DPPH assay (55.54%), while S3 displayed superior performance in the ABTS and metal chelating assays.These findings suggest that C. ternatea flower extracts and their syrups possess significant nutritional and antioxidant properties, with S3 being a promising formulation for food applications due to its sensory appeal and functional benefits.