Phytochemical, Physiochemical and Mineral Contents of Domesticated and Non Domesticated Populations of Momordica charantia L. Seeds Harvested at Two Maturity Stages

Momordica charantia L. is a therapeutically important medicinal plant belonging to family Cucurbitaceae and extensively consumed as a vegetable and used as a treatment for an array of ailments in Ayurveda and traditional systems of medicine in Sri Lanka. Seeds of Momordica charantia contain an array of bioactive molecules including phenolics, carotenoids and rich source of physiochemical constituents, minerals, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA) and hence seeds possess anticancer, antitumor, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic activities. Phyto-constituents and therapeutic activities are depend on plant species or variety, their genetic makeup and maturity stages. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine phytochemical physiochemical and mineral composition of six populations of Momordica charantia seeds harvested at two different maturity stages. Physiochemical composition was determined according to official AOAC method. Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and Total Phenolic Content (TPC) were determined using Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay and Folin-Ciocalteu method respectively. Mineral content was determined using Atomic Absorbance Spectrophotometric method. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in moisture, dry matter content, ash content, crude fat and crude protein among mature and ripen stages. While maturity progressed crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber and dry matter content were increased and moisture content was decreased. Mineral contents in Momordica seeds were varied between maturity stages as well as different populations. The highest mineral content was observed in undomesticated population. TAC and TPC decreased when maturity progressed and the highest TAC and TPC were observed in mature stage of Momordica seeds. Therefore, it is suggested to exploit undomesticated M. charantia populations with elevated phytonutrient contents for pharmaceutical and neutraceutical industries.