Abstract
Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), belonging to family Cucurbitaceae, is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. In the present study, fruits (and its parts-epicarp, mesocarp, endocarp, seed, and whole fruit) of 56 accessions and 4 cultivars of Momordica spp. were assayed and compared for macro-minerals magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca), and microminerals iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu). Potassium was the most abundant macro-mineral found in whole fruit ranging from 78.40 to 483.49mg/100g dry weight (DW), followed by Mg (13.23-101.70mg/100g DW) in epicarp, P (32.22-98.24mg/100g DW) in endocarp, Ca (23.41-71.39mg/100g DW) in whole fruit, and Na (6.09-18.56mg/100g DW) in epicarp. The concentration of microminerals was recorded higher in seeds compared to other fruit parts. Levels of Fe were higher (0.76-6.14mg/100g DW), followed by Zn (0.87-2.64mg/100g DW), Cu (137.68-525.45µg/100g DW), and Mn (46.92-179.05µg/100g DW). The analysis depicted bitter gourd to be a potential source of both macro-minerals (K and Mg) and microminerals (Fe and Zn). The consumption of bitter gourd could be a health-promoting strategy to meet daily dietary intake requirements of essential minerals for human health.
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