TITLE:
Proximate and Major Minerals Components of the Edible Pulp of Momordica charantia Fruit
AUTHORS:
Samba Balde, Nicolas Cyrille Ayessou, Oumar Ben Khatab Cisse, Papa Guedel Faye, Mady Cisse, Codou Mar Diop
KEYWORDS:
Momordica charantia, Characterization, Pulp
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
7,
2020
ABSTRACT: Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae), is a plant commonly used in traditional medicine in
Senegal whose fruits are weakly consumed by the population. However, no data
exists on the
nutritional intake of the latter. This work aims to determine the
physicochemical and biochemical characteristics of the pulp of Momordica charantia. The study focused on two lots of fruits from two geographically
different regions of Senegal (Dakar and Fatick). The biochemical analyses of
the pulp showed average values of protein from 2.39 ± 0.01 g/100 g to 3.19 ± 0.01 g/100 g; reducing sugar from
4.22 ± 0.10 g/100 g to 3.55 ± 0.10 g/100 g; totals sugar from 4.43
± 0.02 g/100 g to 3.38 ± 0.58 g/100 g. The average contents of
polyphenol and flavonoids were respectively from 1.91 ± 0.04 g/100 g to 1.04 ± 0.09 g/100 g and 32.59 ± 0.04 mg/100 g and 20.75 ± 1.19 mg/100 g. According to these
results, the fruit of M. charantia may be
considered as rich in antioxidant. At the opposite, it is very weak in mineral
elements, such as calcium and potassium (1.01 mg/100 g; 3.38 mg/100 g). Meanwhile, the seeds content 24% of lipids.
Thus, investigations should be done on its biological proprieties, physical and
biochemical components.