ABSTRACT
Terminalia ivorensis (TI) is a plant species with a rich history of use in West African ethnomedicine. This magnificent plant has been employed for generations to address a variety of health concerns, including the treatment of conditions including ulcers, malaria, inflammation, and wounds. While Terminalia Ivorensis has garnered substantial attention for its healing properties, there is still much to uncover regarding its phytochemical composition and the bioactive compounds it harbours. The objective of this work was to analyse the GC-MS profile, elemental analysis and nutritional composition (proximate and elemental analyses) of the methanol leaf extract of Terminalia ivorensis. The AOAC methods were used to perform a proximate analysis on the methanol extracts of Terminalia ivorensis leaves. Atomic absorption spectrometry and a flame photometer were also used for the elemental analysis of the methanol extracts of the plant's leaves. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in single-phase ion mode, the bioactive components of the methanol leaf extract were identified and measured. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) database of known compounds was used to compare the spectra of compounds that were discovered. According to a preliminary examination of the methanol leaf extract, it contains nutrients such as carbohydrates (37.70±0.05%), proteins (10.94±0.03%), fats (7.97±0.12%), and fibre (0.95±0.01%), as well as additional components like ash content (1.42±0.01%) and moisture content (41.02±0.21%). Mineral analysis of the extract revealed the presence of essential minerals such as calcium (641.2±1.20mg/100g), copper (6.28±0.02mg/100g), magnesium (186.16±0.29mg/100g), iron (17.13±0.06mg/100g), manganese (3.47±0.01mg/100g), and zinc (3.82±0.01mg/100g), which are essential for the metabolic wellbeing of an individual. Forty-seven (47) phytochemical compounds were detected by GC-MS single-phase ion mode, but this study focus on the first 23 compound including Phenol (5.75%), Glycerin (5.75%), 2,4-Dihydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furan-3-one (5.06%), 4H-Pyran-4-one (4.44%), Phenylethyl Alcohol (3.38%), and 1,5-Hexanediol (2.04%) as the most predominant. According to this study, Terminalia ivorensis could be a valuable source of nutrients, minerals, and contain several beneficial bioactive substances that operate as therapeutic targets required for pharmaceutical research.
