Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng (Gac fruit): An abundant source of nutrient, phytochemicals and its pharmacological activities

Abstract

Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) is an exploitable perennial dioecious fruit found commonly in Southeast Asian countries (SA). Gac fruit has been traditionally used in folk medicine due to its high medicinal and nutritive value. Generally, the aril of the fruit is used as a red colourant for cuisines and supplement for healthier vision. Gac fruit is highly rich in lycopene and β- carotene, fatty acids, vitamin E, polyphenols like phenolic acids, flavonoids and trypsin inhibitors. These compounds are linked with many important bioactivities such as provitamin A, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiulcer and anticancer activities. This paper reviews the findings on nutritional properties, phytochemical composition and the biological activities of Gac fruit. The review has also briefly discussed the suitable conditions for the storage and utilisation of the fruit in food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries