Comparative compositional analysis and orthogonal GC-MS screening of pristine and expired Chyavanaprasha Lehya: a food-matrix pilot study

Background Chyavanaprasha Lehya is a widely recognized polyherbal Ayurvedic nutraceutical and a complex semisolid food matrix. Whether it retains product safety while undergoing compositional degradation beyond its shelf life remains unknown. This question is particularly relevant because the Ayurvedic concept of Saviryata Avadhi, denoting a 1-year period of optimal potency, and the 3-year regulatory shelf life may represent distinct constructs. This pilot investigation examined the relationship between post-expiration product safety and matrix-level compositional integrity across multiple analytical domains. Methodology This study compared one pristine market sample with an 8-month post-expiration counterpart using a panel of microbial assessment, organoleptic examination, physicochemical parameters, total protein, total carbohydrate, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and DPPH radical-scavenging capacity, together with orthogonal dual-column (HP-5ms/DB-WAX) electron ionization gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (EI GC-MS). Compounds tentatively identified by NIST library matching were classified according to the ChemOnt taxonomy. Quantitative assays were performed in technical triplicate. Nutritional and phytochemical parameters were compared using Welch’s t -tests with Bonferroni correction (α = 0.0125), while DPPH IC 50 was evaluated separately at α = 0.05. Results Both samples met the microbial acceptance criteria and remained organoleptically similar, although the expired sample showed modest physicochemical deviations, including a reduced water-soluble extractive value. Quantitative assays showed lower total protein (−20.73%; p = 0.0084) and total phenolic content (−33.38%; p = 0.0030), together with weaker DPPH radical-scavenging activity (IC 50 increased by 43.06%; p = 0.0028). GC-MS tentatively identified 216 compounds. Eight ChemOnt classes, including cinnamaldehydes, were tentatively identified only in the pristine sample, whereas ten classes, including furans and glycerophospholipids, were detected only in the expired sample. Linoleic acid showed an increased relative peak area across both columns; 5-octadecenal was tentatively identified only in the expired sample, alongside expansion of fatty acid methyl ester categories. Conclusion The observed compositional differences were compatible with lipid-phase remodeling, non-enzymatic browning, and aromatic degradation rather than microbial spoilage. This preliminary, hypothesis-generating comparison ( n = 1 per state; technical replicates, different batches) indicates an apparent divergence between microbiological acceptability and phytochemical integrity after expiration and provides a basis for longitudinal, multi-brand stability testing of Chyavanaprasha and related semisolid Ayurvedic matrices.