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VOL. 11, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of volatile organic compounds associated with acridity, nutritional value and medicinal importance in young leaves of Xanthosoma mafaffa (Schott)
Authors
Itorobong I Nkanga, Sunday M Sam, Okon G Okon, Imoh I Johnny, Vincent K Apuu
Abstract
Cocoyam (Xanthosoma mafaffa (Schott)) is an underutilized tropical crop valued for its edible corms and leaves, its leaves are consumed as vegetables in many communities. Beyond their dietary role, cocoyam leaves contain diverse phytochemicals that contribute to its defense, nutrition and medicinal properties. Knowledge of these phytochemicals is important for clarifying their functional mechanisms and potential applications. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry is a powerful analytical technique which enables the separation, identification and quantification of complex mixtures of bioactive compounds, making it suitable for phytochemical profiling. This study aimed at characterizing the phytochemical profile of young leaves of Xanthosoma mafaffa, categorizing them into those associated with acridity, nutritional importance and medicinal relevance. Ethanolic extracts of the leaves were analyzed using GC-MS with a fused silica Elite-1 column and helium as the carrier gas. Mass spectra were interpreted using the NIST library database to identify compounds based on retention time, molecular weight and spectral patterns. Twenty (20) phytochemicals were identified with 3 being associated with acridity, 5 with nutritional importance and 9 being of medicinal relevance. Visualization through pie chart demonstrated that nutritional phytochemicals were of the highest concentration (59%) followed by phytochemicals of medicinal importance (25%) while those associated with acridity (7%). The stacked bar chart revealed that Picolinyl 16-methyl- heptadec-9-enoate with a concentration of 38.38% contributed most to X. mafaffa’s nutritional value, N,N'-Bis(salicylidene)-3,3'-bis(aminopropyl)aminocobalt(II) with a concentration of 6.53% contributed most to its medicinal profile, 2- [2,2,3,3,3-Pentafluoro-1-(3-phenoxy- phenylamino)-propylidene]-malononitrile with a concentration of 2.998% contributed most to acridity while those that didn’t fall under any of these categories were stacked under the uncharacterized bar. In conclusion X. mafaffa leaves are rich in nutritionally and medicinally relevant phytochemicals while acridity is associated with specific phenolic and nitrile compounds.
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Pages:257-268
How to cite this article:
Itorobong I Nkanga, Sunday M Sam, Okon G Okon, Imoh I Johnny, Vincent K Apuu "Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of volatile organic compounds associated with acridity, nutritional value and medicinal importance in young leaves of <i>Xanthosoma mafaffa</i> (Schott)". International Journal of Botany Studies, Vol 11, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 257-268
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