GC-MS Analysis of Bioactive Compounds from Selected Wild Edible Plants of Raigad District

Abstract

Wild edible plants are important components of traditional food systems and represent potential sources of nutrients, phytochemicals and biologically active compounds. Raigad District of Maharashtra, situated in the Konkan region, possesses considerable plant diversity and traditional knowledge associated with the use of wild plants as food. Previous ethnobotanical documentation from Raigad has reported 30 wild edible plant species with different edible parts, including leaves, fruits, tubers, bulbils and other plant tissues. The present study focuses on selected wild edible plants of Raigad District and evaluates their potential for bioactive compound profiling using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eight plants were selected for the study: Amaranthus spinosus L., Basella alba L., Dioscorea alata L., Asparagus racemosus Willd., Momordica dioica Roxb., Ficus racemosa L., Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr. and Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy. The study integrates ethnobotanical documentation with published phytochemical and GC-MS evidence. Literature indicates the presence of diverse chemical groups in these plants, including fatty-acid derivatives, terpenoids, sterols, phenolic compounds and other secondary metabolites. GC-MS is particularly useful for the qualitative investigation of volatile and semi-volatile compounds and can provide chemical fingerprints of plant extracts. The findings indicate that the selected wild edible plants represent promising candidates for systematic phytochemical investigation and future nutraceutical and functional-food research. However, the present assessment should not be interpreted as a substitute for laboratory-generated GC-MS data. Experimental validation using authenticated plant material, standardized extraction procedures, chromatographic analysis, spectral library matching and biological assays is required to establish the actual chemical composition and biological significance of the selected plants.