Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Characterization of antioxidant polysaccharides in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) cultivars

Author(s):

Junli Li  ^2,§, Yunqiang Wang  ^1,3,§, Jin Huang ², Xiaofei Xu ⁴, Changping Xiang ^1*

Recieved Date: 2010-09-24, Accepted Date: 2010-11-05

Abstract:

Three water-soluble polysaccharides in fruits of bitter gound (Momordica charantia L.) cultivars, coded as BP1, BP2 and BP3, were isolated by precipitation with alcohol from the aqueous extract of the fruits residue after refluxed with ethanol and deproteined by Sevage method and decolored by 30% H₂O₂ from the fruit of bitter gourd. Their chemical structure and physicochemical properties were characterized by anthrone-sulfuric acid method, carbazole-sulfuric acid method, FT-IR spectra and gas chromatography, respectively. Furthermore, their antioxidant activities were evaluated by several in vitro systems of assay, namely hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity and superoxide radical-scavenging activity. The results indicated that in the same growing environment, there are differences in monosaccharide composition , structure and antioxidant activities among different bitter gourd cultivars. Three water-soluble polysaccharides of bitter gourd were all composed of L-arabinose (Ara), D-glucose (Glu) and D-galactose (Gal), with variations of the component ratio. All three polysaccharides showed antioxidant activities. They had strong scavenging effect on hydroxyl free radical, and much weaker effect on superoxide radical. Among them, BP1 showed the highest scavenging rate on hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals. The presence of polysaccarides with high antioxidant capacity in fruits indicates bitter gourd can be considered an important dietary source of antioxidants.

Keywords:

Bitter gourd, bitter melon, polysaccharide, characterization, antioxidant activities, Momordica charantia L.

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 3&4
Category: Food and Health
Pages: 117-120

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