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. 2021 Jul 27;26(15):4539.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26154539.

Identification of Anthocyanin Compounds in Butterfly Pea Flowers (Clitoria ternatea L.) by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/Ultraviolet Coupled to Mass Spectrometry

Nguyen Minh Thuy  1 , Vo Quang Minh  2 , Tran Chi Ben  1 , My Tuyen Thi Nguyen  1   3 , Ho Thi Ngan Ha  4   5 , Ngo Van Tai  1
Affiliations

Identification of Anthocyanin Compounds in Butterfly Pea Flowers (Clitoria ternatea L.) by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/Ultraviolet Coupled to Mass Spectrometry

Nguyen Minh Thuy et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Butterfly pea flower have great sensory attraction, but they have not yet been used widely in Vietnam. Extracts of butterfly pea flowers can be used conveniently as a natural blue colorant for food products. In this study, the identification of anthocyanin compounds in butterfly pea flowers was performed by UPLC coupled with a UV and Mass spectrometer instrument. Positive and negative ion electrospray MS/MS chromatograms and spectra of the anthocyanin compounds were determined. By analyzing the chromatograms and spectra for each ion, five anthocyanins were identified in the butterfly pea flower extract; these were delphinidin-3-(6″-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-(6″-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-(p-coumaroyl) glucose in both cis- and trans- isomers, cyanidin-3-(p-coumaroyl-glucoside) and delphinidin-3-pyranoside. Additionally, based on their intensity, it was determined that cyanidin-3-(p-coumaroyl-glucoside) was the most abundant anthocyanin, followed by cyanidin 3-(6″-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-(p-coumaroyl-glucoside), delphinidin-3-(6″-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside and delphinidin-3-pyranoside. In this study, cyanidin derivatives were discovered in butterfly pea flower extract, where these compounds had not been detected in previous studies.

Keywords: UPLC/UV/MS; anthocyanin; butterfly pea flowers; cyanidin; delphinidin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total ion chromatograms in positive mode (a) and negative mode (b) and the corresponding chromatogram of UV at 535 nm (c).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total ion spectra in positive and negative modes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The ion chromatograms (a) and ion spectra (b) and MS/MS fragments (**) of parent mass 757.2 (c).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The ion chromatograms (a) and ion spectra (b) and MS/MS fragments (**) of parent mass 741.2 (c).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The ion chromatograms (a) and ion spectra (b) and MS/MS fragments (**) of parent mass 611.2 (c).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The ion chromatograms (a) and ion spectra (b) and MS/MS fragments of parent mass 595.2 (c).
Figure 7
Figure 7
The ion chromatograms (a) and ion spectra (b) and MS/MS fragments (**) of parent mass 465.2 (c).
Figure 7
Figure 7
The ion chromatograms (a) and ion spectra (b) and MS/MS fragments (**) of parent mass 465.2 (c).
Figure 8
Figure 8
UPLC-MS/MS profile of five anthocyanins found in butterfly pea flower (a) and the comparison of their intensity (b). (1) Delphinidin-3-(6″-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside, (2) Cyanidin 3-(6″-p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside, (3) Delphinidin-3-(cis-p-coumaroyl-glucoside), (3′) Delphinidin-3-(trans-p-coumaroyl-glucoside), (4) Cyanidin-3-(p-coumaroyl)glucose and (5) Delphinidin-3-pyranoside.
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References

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