BUTTERFLY PEA (CLITORIA TERNATEA), A CYCLOTIDE-BEARING PLANT WITH APPLICATIONS IN AGRICULTURE AND MEDICINERA

The perennial leguminous herb Clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea) has attracted significant interest based on its agricultural and medical applications, which range from use as a fodder and nitrogen fixing crop, to applications in food colouring and cosmetics, traditional medicine and as a source of an eco-friendly insecticide. In this article we provide a broad multidisciplinary review that includes descriptions of the physical appearance, distribution, taxonomy, habitat, growth and propagation, phytochemical composition, and applications of this plant. Notable amongst its repertoire of chemical components are anthocyanins which give C. ternatea flowers their characteristic blue colour, and cyclotides, ultra-stable macrocyclic peptides that are present in all tissues of this plant. The latter are potent insecticidal molecules and are implicated as the bioactive agents in a plant extract used commercially as an insecticide. We include a description of the genetic origin of these peptides, which interestingly involve the co-option of an ancestral albumin gene to produce the cyclotide precursor protein. The biosynthesis step in which the cyclic peptide backbone is formed involves an asparaginyl endopeptidase, of which in C. ternatea is known as butelase-1. This enzyme is highly efficient in peptide ligation and has been the focus of many recent studies on peptide ligation and cyclization for biotechnological applications. The article concludes with some suggestions for future studies on this plant, including the need to explore possible synergies between the various peptidic and non-peptidic phytochemicals.

The study examines the affordability and health effectiveness of blue tea in India with a special focus on pharmacological characteristics and sensory evaluation in comparison to black tea. A mono-method quantitative technique has been utilized to gather information on the health effects of Clitoria ternatea (CT) using random sampling techniques and SPSS analytical tool for data analysis. Further, thirty-five untrained panelists have been employed to conduct the sensory analysis. Blue tea made of butterfly pea flower has been identified as a potential source of phytochemical characteristics that can be crucial in addressing human health hazards. Blue tea has several health benefits including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-stressor, anti-diabetic, and anti-carcinogenic effects. The research has reflected the acceptance of blue tea in the Indian market considering market awareness and its affordability among the population. The average spending of 66 surveyed Indian consumers on tea consumption is less than 300 INR each month and they are most likely to spend the same amount of money on purchasing blue tea. However, its acceptability has been limited in India in comparison to conventional black tea whose acceptability is higher among Indian consumers with better taste and aroma

Keywords: Anthocyanin, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Flavanol blue tea, blank tea; heath benefited