Gac

Fruits of Momordica cochinchinensis

Momordica cochinchinensis (also Gacfrucht, Gac Fruit or baby jack fruit) is a plant belonging to the gourd family ( Cucurbitaceae ). Its fruits are used as a vegetable in Asia.

Features

The plants are climbing plants with thick, woody stem axis and large leaves. The plants are usually dioecious, from India are also known monoecious. The large flowers appear singly and are cream-colored to pale yellow with a black mark at the base of the petals.

The fruits are ovoid, 10 to 20 inches long and can be 1 to 1.5 kilograms. They are covered with small conical spines and maturity orange to red. Embedded in also orange-red pulp are large ( four inches in diameter), flat, black seeds.

The Vietnamese Gacfrucht contains the highest known amount of lycopene in a fruit and is mainly consumed in Vietnam and surrounding countries due to its remarkable also beta -carotene levels in order to prevent the frequently occurring in these regions Vitamin A deficiency disorders.

The Gacfrucht contains more carotenoids than carrots (10 times higher than carrots ug / g fresh weight ) and the more lycopene than tomatoes ( 70 times higher than that of a tomato ug / g fresh weight).

Dissemination

The home of the species is suspected in India, but is cultivated throughout South and Southeast Asia and is naturalized there.

Cultivation and use

The cultivation takes place mostly during the rainy season in the humid tropics. In other areas, irrigation is necessary. Are harvested immature, one to two weeks old fruits. Diseases are rare, fruit flies can cause some damage to the fruit.

The immature fruits are cooked after removing the spikes and used as a vegetable or used in curries. Young leaves, flowers and seeds are also edible. The oil from the seeds can be used for illumination.

The roots are rich in triterpene saponins and can be used as a soap substitute. In China, India and South Asia in general in different parts of the plant are used medicinally.

Documents

  • R. W. Robinson, D. S. Decker -Walters: cucurbits. CAB International, Wallingford 1997, pp. 100f. ISBN 0-85199-133-5
  • Ishida, BK, Turner, C., Chapman, MH, McKeon, TA: Fatty acids and carotenoid composition in gac ( momordica busting cochinchinensis ) fruit. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2004 Vol 52, p. 274-279.
  • Cucurbits
  • Cucurbitaceae
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