Yield and Quality Extract of Clitoria ternatea Accessions with Different Drying Methods

Abstract

Clitoria ternatea has well-known potential roles for medicinal purposes because it is a source of antioxidants. Drying is important for obtaining C. ternatea extract by removing the moisture from the fresh materials. However, it might also influence bioactive compounds and alterations of sensory, nutritional, and physical qualities. This study aimed to determine the best combination of drying method and C. ternatea accession for yield and quality of extract without damaging its bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities. A completely randomized block design with nine combination treatments was used in this study. Each treatment was replicated three times. Drying methods consisted of shade drying, sun drying, and oven drying, while C. ternatea accessions were white single petal, blue single petal, and blue double petal. The LCMS analysis of single blue petal of C. ternatea in methanol extract showed that the dominant metabolites found were flavonoid groups; quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin. Total phenolic content was recorded higher in blue double petal accession of C. ternatea combined with the sun drying method. Moreover, shade drying combined with white single petal of C. ternatea achieved the best total extraction yield, flavonoid, antioxidant activity (IC50), kaempferol, and quercetin yields. Due to its affordability, shade drying is a potential best option for drying C. ternatea, particularly for white single petal accession.