Development and validation of a RP-HPLC-DAD method for quantification of charantin in Momordica charantia products

Abstract Momordica charantia L., bitter melon, is a vegetable grown in countries from tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This study is part of a comprehensive project that compares the chemical composition of greenhouse-grown plants in Romania with those of imported vegetable products, in our case from India. We measured the charantin content in a total of eight samples obtained from four sources: three Romanian sources and one Indian import product. The method developed by us was also used to analyze two tea products and four food supplements containing bitter melon extracts. The objective of our study was to develop and validate an RP-HPLC-DAD method for the quantitative determination of the charantin. Our results show that the charantin content of greenhouse-grown bitter melons grown in Romania (0.384−0.598 mg/g) is similar to those grown in India (0.547 mg/g). Food supplements analysis had varied results, charantin was in the expected range in most analyzed samples, one product was low in charantin and one tea had charantin below LOD. The method that we developed proved to be suitable and practical when comparing the charantin content of herbal products. The same method can be used successfully for the analysis of charantin in food supplements.