THE EFFECT OF SOLVENT COMPOSITION IN ULTRASOUNDASSISTED EXTRACTION (UAE) METHOD ON THE PHENOLIC CONTENT OF BUTTERFLY PEA (Clitoria ternatea L.) FLOWER EXTRACT

Abstrak

Indonesia is a country rich in biodiversity, with numerous natural sources exhibiting antioxidant activity. One class of bioactive compounds known to contribute to antioxidant properties is phenolics. Clitoria ternatea L. (butterfly pea) flowers are known to contain high levels of phenolic compounds. To extract these compounds effectively, suitable extraction methods are required— one of which is Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE). In UAE, the choice of solvent plays a critical role, as phenolic compounds are polar and thus require polar solvents for efficient extraction. Ethanol and water are commonly used polar solvents. The composition of the extraction solvent significantly influences the amount of phenolic compounds extracted, necessitating analysis to determine the optimal solvent ratio. This study investigates the effect of different solvent compositions—100% ethanol, 50:50 ethanol:water, and 100% water—on the total phenolic content extracted from Clitoria ternatea L. flowers using the UAE method. The phenolic content was determined using UV-Visible spectrophotometry. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference (ɑ < 0.05) among the three solvent systems, with the highest phenolic yield obtained using a 50:50 ethanol:water mixture, reaching 46.188 ± 0.202 mg GAE/g. These findings indicate that solvent composition plays a key role in optimizing phenolic extraction from butterfly pea flowers