Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry Analysis of Methanol Extracts from Marine Red Seaweed Gracilaria corticata

Introduction: The objective of the work is to analyse the methanol extract of marine red macro algae species Gracilaria corticata using Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to reveal the presence of various secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds present in the algae and study its diverse properties. Methods: Gracilaria corticata was collected along the shore of Mandapam and was identified and authenticated. The methanol extract of the algae was prepared and analysed using GC-MS Perkin-Elmer, Clarus 680 model to reveal the various bioactive present in the algae. Results: The analysis revealed several bioactive compounds:undecane; 2-decyloxirane (2.023%); Methy n-tridecanoate;n-hexadecanoic acid (74.198%); eicosanoic acid (2.262%); nonanoic acid (2.084%); oleic acid (6.609%); oleic acid (4.156%); pentadecanoic acid (2.176%); bicycle [3.2.1] oct-3-en-2-one,3,8-dihydroxy- 1-1methoxy-7-(7-methoxy-1, 3 benzodioxol-5-yl)-6-methyl-5 (2.901%);N-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl) dodecanamide (2.048%); and cholesta-8,24-dien-3-ol,4-methyl (1.542%). The bioactive compounds from methanol extract of algae after GC-MS analysis and their essential medicinal properties were studied in this research work. Conclusion: Gracilaria corticata has potential against bacteria, fungi, free radical scavenging, etc and can used in the drug discovery and development sector.