Physicochemical characterization, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of bitter melon

ABSTRACT The bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is an exotic fruit that has adapted very well to the Brazilian soils, and can be found on practically all regions. Several advantages related to consumption of this fruit can be reported, highlighting its antifungal activity, reduction of glycemic indexes, and also due to the content of natural pigments, such as lycopene and β-carotene, making it promising as a functional food. Based on the demand for foods of this nature, this research aimed at the biometric characterization, physicochemical, bioactive compounds and the pulp and seeds’ antioxidant capacity of bitter melon, collected in the southwest region of Goias. The fruits were collected from plants inside a native vegetation area on Campus Rio Verde at the Instituto Federal Goiano, and the evaluations were carried out from October 2020 to April 2021. The fruits showed high variability in dimensions and weight, high concentrations of flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, total phenolics and antioxidant capacity. According to results, the bitter melon can be used as a raw material to develop food formulations with functional characteristics and drugs potentially effective in the treatment of diabetes and diseases caused by oxidative processes.