Ethanol extract.

To elucidate the terpenoid profile of Cucumis melo (L). fruit extract using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The ethanolic extract prepared from the fruit of Cucumis melo (L). using Soxhlet apparatus. n-hexane: ethyl acetate (7.2: 2.9) was employed as mobile phase for terpenoids. 3µl of test solution and 2µl of standard solution was loaded as 6mm band length in the 3 x 10 Silica gel 60F254 TLC plate using Hamilton syringe and CAMAG LINOMAT 5 instrument.  HPTLC analysis was done using CAMAG HPTLC system equipped with automatic TLC sampler IV, TLC scanner 3, REPROSTAR 3 with 12 bit CCD camera for photo documentation, winCATS Planer Chromatography software. The Rf value of the different compounds present in the extract was found to 0.06, 0.21 and 0.93 of peak 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Among them, peak 1 was found to be terpenoid compounds. C. melo fruit extract showed the presence of terpenoids and it was confirmed from the chromatogram after derivatization.  HPTLC profile of terpenoids has been chosen here to reveal the diversity existing at biochemical level in C. melo. Such finger printing is useful in differentiating the species from the adulterant and act as a biochemical marker for this medicinally important plant in the pharmaceutical industry and plant systematic studies.