Bioactive Compounds from Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Lour. Spreng)

Although phytochemical contents of Gac fruit have been extensively analyzed, information about the bioactive compounds and valorization of Gac leaves is limited. In this study, Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) leaves at different maturity stages (young: YL, mature: ML and old: OL leaves) were extracted during a 20 min of 150-W sonication process. Color, phytochemicals, antioxidant activity, and inhibitory effects against carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes were assessed by colorimetric, high-performance liquid chromatography, and spectrophotometric methods, respectively. Results indicated a decrease in L* (lightness) and an increase in a* (greenness–redness) during maturation of leaves. The YL extract had the highest contents of phytochemicals with 4897.01 (mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE] per 100 gram dried weight [DW]), total phenolics, 592.81 (mg querce-tin [QE]/100 g DW), total flavonoids, 34.77% ?-amylase inhibitory activity, and 40.21% ?-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Myricetin (43%), vitexin (22%), and esculetin (11%) were the major bioactive compounds detected in YL extract. Also, the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like capacity of the extract decreased from 11,599.96 to 3,999.63 U/g DW during the transformation of YL to OL. Extract of Gac leaves was found to be a potential ingredient for food preservation and supplementation that could reduce postprandial hyperglycemia.

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Effect of Drying Pre-treatments on the Yield and Bioactive Content of Oil Extracted from Gac Aril

International Journal of Food Engineering ◽

10.1515/ijfe-2013-0028 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 103-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tuyen Chan Kha ◽

Minh H. Nguyen ◽

Paul D. Roach ◽

Costas E. Stathopoulos

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Soxhlet Extraction ◽

Microwave Drying ◽

Oil Yield ◽

Air Drying ◽

Momordica Cochinchinensis ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Β Carotene

Abstract Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) aril contains high levels of bioactive compounds including β-carotene, lycopene and fatty acids. Therefore, it is important to find an extraction method of Gac oil resulting in the highest content of bioactive compounds. The effects of microwave and air-drying pre-treatments of Gac aril prior to hydraulic pressing and Soxhlet extraction on the oil yield, nutrients and chemical properties of the oil were compared. Results showed that the highest oil yield could be obtained when the aril was microwave-dried before Soxhlet extraction. This finding was explained by microstructural changes of the dried arils. Microwave-drying prior to pressing resulted in the highest content of β-carotene (174 mg/100 mL) and lycopene (511 mg/100 mL) in the oil extract. Oleic acid (48%) and linoleic acid (18%) were found to be the dominant fatty acids in the oil extracts. Gac oil with the lowest acid (0.69 mg KOH/g) and peroxide values (1.80 meq O2/kg) was extracted when microwave-drying was applied prior to pressing. It can be concluded that the microwave drying pre-treatment before pressing was better than the air-drying pre-treatment for extracting Gac oil of high quality.

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Effect of Solvents and Extraction Methods on Recovery of Bioactive Compounds from Defatted Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) Seeds

Separations ◽

10.3390/separations5030039 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 39 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Anh V. Le ◽

Sophie E. Parks ◽

Minh H. Nguyen ◽

Paul D. Roach

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Trypsin Inhibitors ◽

Trypsin Inhibitor Activity ◽

Frap Assay ◽

Antioxidant Power ◽

Total Solids ◽

Momordica Cochinchinensis ◽

Microwave Assistance ◽

Water Saturated

Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) seeds contain bioactive compounds with medicinal properties. This study aimed to determine a suitable solvent and extraction technique for recovery of important compounds, namely, trypsin inhibitors, saponins, and phenolics. The antioxidant capacity and total solids of derived extracts were also measured. Water with conventional extraction method gave the highest value of trypsin inhibitor activity (118.45 ± 4.90 mg trypsin g−1) while water-saturated n-butanol and methanol extracts were characterized by their highest content of saponins (40.75 ± 0.31 and 38.80 ± 2.82 mg AE g−1, respectively). Aqueous extract with microwave assistance achieved the highest phenolics (3.18 ± 0.04 mg GAE g−1). As a measure of antioxidant capacity, the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assay gave highest value to the aqueous microwave extract (23.56 ± 0.82 μmol TE g−1) while the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay gave highest values to water-saturated n-butanol and 70% ethanol extracts (5.25 ± 0.04 and 4.71 ± 0.39 μmol TE g−1, respectively). The total solids value was highest using water with microwave assistance (141.5 g kg−1) while ultrasound treatment did not improve any extractions. Therefore, trypsin inhibitors are suitably recovered using water while water-saturated n-butanol or methanol is for saponins, both using a conventional method. Microwave extraction is suitable for phenolics recovery. These conditions are recommended for an efficient recovery of bioactive compounds from defatted Gac seeds.

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