Evaluation of bioactive compounds in the methanolic extract of butterfly pea plant (Clitoria ternatea L.) using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy

Clitoria ternatea L. (Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant valued for its diverse phytochemical constituents; however, systematic studies on the white-flowered variety (C. ternatea var. pilosula) remain limited. The present study provides a comparative, part-wise gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling of methanolic extracts from the leaf, stem, root, seed and flower of the white-flowered variety, addressing an important research gap. Methanolic extracts were prepared by maceration and analysed using a Shimadzu QP-2010 gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system equipped with an RTX-5MS capillary column. Compound identification was achieved through spectral matching with NIST and Wiley libraries and retention index comparison. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed distinct phytochemical compositions among plant parts, including fatty acids, long-chain hydrocarbons, terpenoid alcohols, esters and phenolic heterocycles. Leaves exhibited the highest chemical diversity with hexacontane (19.96 %), pentadecane, 2,6,10,13-tetramethyl (7.44 %) and isoamyl acetate (5.82 %) as major constituents. Flowers displayed a unique profile dominated by oxygenated and heterocyclic compounds, particularly 3-furanmethanol (47.16 %), along with glycerin and pyranone derivatives. Roots, stems and seeds were mainly characterised by fatty acids and alkanes. Several identified compounds possess previously reported antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, indicating potential biological relevance. This study highlights marked part-specific phytochemical variation in C. ternatea var. pilosula and provides a chemical basis for future pharmacological and chemotaxonomic investigations.