Metabolite Profiling of Averrhoa bilimbi L. Fruit and Leaf Extracts Using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution and Multistage Mass Spectrometry

The starfruit plant (Averrhoa bilimbi L.) is a natural and rich source of phytochemical compounds. Even though it has excellent potential, comprehensive metabolite profiling has never been carried out on this plant. This research aims to perform metabolite profiling of ethanol extracts from the fruit and leaves using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS). The fruit and leaves of the A. bilimbi were extracted using an ethanol solvent using the ultrasonic-assisted extraction technique. Separation of compounds in each extract was carried out using the UHPLC method with a phenyl hexyl column, while the mass of the ions was analyzed using HRMS orbitrap. Data analysis of MS/MS results was carried out using Compound Discoverer. This study tentatively characterized a total of 71 metabolites. The chromatogram profile indicates that the examined sample's retention time varied between 0.895 and 27.190 min. Among these detected metabolites, amino acids were found to be the major components of A. bilimbi extracts. This preliminary study signifies the first comprehensive profile of phytochemicals in A. bilimbi fruit and leaf extracts, including amino acids, lipids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds with potential for diverse pharmacological activities.