GC–MS Analysis of Bioactive Compounds of Ethanol Extract of Soybean Glycine Max (L.) Merril.

Abstract

The plant species Glycine max (L.) Merril is commonly called soybean and originates from the Fabaceae family. Soybeans have been cultivated by humans in mainland China since 2500 BC and then spread to other countries along with the increase in trade between countries in the early 19th century. For thousands of years, soybeans have been used as food and medicine in China, Japan, and Korea. The study aimed to identify bioactive compounds in the ethanol extract of Glycine max (L.) Merril soybean. GC-MS Ultra QP 2010 (Shimadzu) was used to identify bioactive compounds in the ethanol extract of Glycine max (L.) Merril soybean. GC-MS showed that the soybeans contained 50 compounds. Retention time, molecular formula, molecular weight, peak area, structure, compound category, and activity were identified. The most abundant compounds found were Isopropyl linoleate (55.25%), n-hexadecanoic acid (24.77%), 6-octadecenoic acid, methyl ester, (Z)-(10.72%), hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (4.03%) and Methyl stearate (1%). This study shows that the species Glycine max (L.) Merril contains bioactive compounds, including fatty acids, esters, terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, etc. The presence of these phytoconstituents may justify its traditional use as a source of food and medicine.