Postharvest physiology and quality of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.)

Abstract

Developing fruits of Momordica chamntia, known as bitter melon, bitter gourd or balsam pear, were harvested at horticultural maturity and stored up to 14 days in humidified air at different temperatures. Respiration rates of fruits at 20 and 10°C were approximately 40 and 15 ~1 CO2 g-l h-l, respectively. Ethylene production rates at these temperatures were O.l-0.3 nl g-l h-l. Fruits stored for >8 days at 7.5"C showed severe chilling symptoms (decay, pitting and discoloration) and typical chill-induced respiratory and ethylene production increases after transfer to 15°C. Fruit quality was best maintained if bitter melon were stored at 10 and 12S"C. Fruits at 15°C continued to develop, showing undesirable changes including seed development, loss of green color, and fruit splitting. Immature fruit maintained postharvest quality better than fruit harvested at the fully developed green stage. Bitter melon stored at 15°C in controlled atmospheres (21, 5 or 2.5% 02 in combination with 0, 2.5, 5 or 10% COZ) were not different in quality from air-stored fruits at 2 weeks. Fruits stored 3 weeks in 2.5 or 5% CO* in combination with 2.5% 02 showed greater retention of green color and had less decay and splitting than air-stored fruit.

Mapping Fruit Susceptibility to Postharvest Physiological Disorders and Decay Using a Collection of Near-isogenic Lines of Melon

“…The CI symptoms reported in the NILs studied generally agree with those found at 7.5°C in bitter-melon (Momordica charantia L.), such as decay, pitting, and discoloration, as reported by Zong et al (1995) and Valdenegro et al (2004Valdenegro et al ( , 2005. The dominance of necrotrophic fungi Alternaria spp.…”

“…Chilling injury (CI) negatively affects fruit skin appearance and flesh flavor in most Cucurbitaceae species because most of them are sensitive to CI below 13°C (Ben-Amor et al, 1999;Lipton, 1978;McCollum, 1990;Miccolis and Saltveit, 1995;Yang et al, 2003;Zong et al, 1995). Typical CI symptoms in melon and other members of the Cucurbitaceae are pitting and skin scald, lesions that are usually colonized in a few days by saprophytic or necrotrophic fungi such as Alternaria Nees or Cladosporium Link (Fernández-Trujillo and Martínez, 2006;Miccolis and Saltveit, 1995).…”

α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Effect of Vicine and α-Eleostearic Acid from the Seeds of Momordica charantia

“…(Giron et al, 1991;Zong et al, 1995;Virdi et al, 2003). 우리나라에서는 미숙 과실의 쓴맛 때문에 쓴오이라고 도 하며 덩굴성 작물로 심어 주로 관상용으로 이용해 왔으나, 기능성 성분이 높은 박과채소로의 관심이 높아지면서 함양, 정읍, 철원, 제주도 등 전국 각지에서 여주를 재배·가공·판매 하여 부가가치를 높이는 농가가 많아지고 있다.…”

Análisis de crecimiento del cultivo de balsamina Momordica charantia L. en semillero

“…Como balsamina, melón amargo, pera de bálsamo, cundeamor, tomaco, calabaza africana, pepino africano, entre otros, se conoce en el mundo a la hortaliza tropical M. charantia (Zong et al, 1995;Mia et al, 2014). Sus hojas se utilizan como verdura y en preparación de curry.…”