• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.401-411
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• 2015

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) has various biological functions, including anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antioxidant activities. However, the development of foods using bitter melon (BM) is unexplored due to its bitter taste. In this study, BM pickle was prepared, and changes in quality characteristics and antioxidant activity during ageing were determined. After 4 weeks of ageing, pH levels, salinities, soluble solids, and reducing sugars of BM pickle decreased, whereas acidities increased. In addition, total viable, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast viable cell numbers greatly increased until 1 week, after which they slightly decreased. Levels of soluble phenolics increased during ageing, antioxidant activity increased accordingly. Crude protein, K, and P contents of pickles were lower than in raw material of BM, whereas crude fat and Na contents increased. Corn silk extracts were added to BM pickle during ageing in order to improve the bitter taste and flavor. The best sensory quality was obtained by adding 0.25% corn silk extracts.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.200-205
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• 2016

This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects that the difference of planting time by a method of cultivation in the non-heated greenhouse and the open field with spring planting had on growth and yield. With regard to the tested variety of Momordica charantia, variety 'Dragon' (Japan Yae 農藝) was selected. And 3 treatments on March 20, April 5 and April 20 for the greenhouse cultivation and 3 treatments on April 20, May 5 and May 20 for the open-field cultivation 1 month later than those for the greenhouse cultivation were planted by the randomized complete block design, and 4 secondary vines were trained. In the results of examining 15-day average atmospheric temperature after planting according to the methods of greenhouse and open-field cultivation and planting time, it was shown that there was a tendency for atmospheric temperature inside the greenhouse to decrease as the planting time was moved up. In particular, the average atmospheric temperature was $16.7^{\circ}C$ when seedling was planted on April 20 in the open-field cultivation, which was approximately equal to $17.0^{\circ}C$ of the average atmospheric temperature when a seedling was planted on March 20 in the greenhouse cultivation. With regard to the date of first harvest by the method of cultivation, it was shown that there was a tendency for the date of first harvest to be earlier in the greenhouse cultivation than in the open-field cultivation, and the date of first harvest was moved up as a seedling was planted earlier for the planting period. The number and weight of harvested fruits per plant showed a tendency which was almost similar to that of total number of harvest days and number of harvests. Thus, the number of fruits was 189 and the weight of fruits was 31,649g in case of the greenhouse cultivation and planting on March 20, which were maximum. In case of planting on the latest planting date : May 20 in the open-field cultivation, the number of fruits was 77 and the weight of fruits was 12,502g, which were at a level of 40% of those of planting on March 20 in the greenhouse cultivation 2 months earlier. The total yield per 10a was 10,228kg in the greenhouse cultivation and was 2.2 times as heavy as 4,607kg in the open-field cultivation with regard to the method of cultivation. For the planting period in the greenhouse cultivation, it was 10,539kg and 10,517kg in planting on March 20 and April 5, which was higher by 9% than 9,629kg in planting on April 20. And in the open-field cultivation, it was 4,785kg in planting on April 20 and 4,872kg in planting on May 5, which was higher by 15~17% than 4,163kg in planting on May 20. Taking the above results into account, it is considered proper to plant Momordica charantia from March 20 to April 5 for the greenhouse cultivation and from April 20 to May 5 or thereabouts when a risk of late frost is gone for the open-field cultivation in southern area.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.499-508
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the qualities of muffins with 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12% bitter melon powder. The specific gravity of muffins prepared by adding bitter melon powder was higher than that of the control group. The height of the control group was higher than that of the samples with bitter melon powder. The weight of muffins was not significantly different between all sample groups. The volume and specific loaf volume of muffins were decreased by the addition of bitter melon powder. The baking loss rate of muffins was not significantly different between all sample groups. The moisture content of the samples with bitter melon powder was higher but the pH of muffins was lower than those of the control group. DPPH radical scavenging activity of the control group was 26.86%, whereas the samples with bitter melon powder ranged from 41.35~74.91%. In crumb color, the L value was decreased, but a and b value were increased significantly by the addition of bitter melon powder. The hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness and brittleness of textural properties of muffins were significantly decreased by the addition of bitter melon powder. Sensory evaluation scores in terms of appearance, flavor, taste, texture and overall preference of groups with 3% and 6% of bitter melon powder did not show any significant difference when compared to the control group. Based on the above results, using less than 6% of the bitter melon powder would be proper to make muffins.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.311-316
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• 2007

In this study, the twenty-four ethyl acetate extracts of twenty-two medicinal plants, traditionally used in Vietnam as anti-diabetes agents, were investigated for ${\alpha}$-amylase and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) enzymes inhibitory activity in vitro. The results indicated that, twelve materials (50.0%) showed moderate to strong inhibitory activity in ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibitory activity with $IC_{50}$ values ranging from 2.5 to $48.8{\mu}g/mL$; meanwhile, ten extracts (41.6%) could demonstrate PTP1B activity with $IC_{50}$ values less than $30.5{\mu}g/mL$. Some plants presented interesting activities against both of ${\alpha}$-amylase and PTP1B enzymes such as Catharanthus roseus, Carthamus tinctorius, Momordica charantia, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Smilax glabra, Psidium guajava (leave), and Rehmannia glutinosa. The study may provide a proof, at least in a part, for the ethno-medical use in diabetes disease of these plants.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2023

This study aimed to observe the protective effect of momordicine I, a triterpenoid compound extracted from momordica charantia L., on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced hypertrophy in rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes and investigate its potential mechanism. Treatment with 10 μM ISO induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy as evidenced by increased cell surface area and protein content as well as pronounced upregulation of fetal genes including atrial natriuretic peptide, βmyosin heavy chain, and α-skeletal actin; however, those responses were markedly attenuated by treatment with 12.5 ㎍/ml momordicine I. Transcriptome experiment results showed that there were 381 and 447 differentially expressed genes expressed in comparisons of model/control and momordicine I intervention/model, respectively. GO enrichment analysis suggested that the anti-cardiomyocyte hypertrophic effect of momordicine I may be mainly associated with the regulation of metabolic processes. Based on our transcriptome experiment results as well as literature reports, we selected glycerophospholipid metabolizing enzymes group VI phospholipase A₂ (PLA2G6) and diacylglycerol kinase ζ (DGK-ζ) as targets to further explore the potential mechanism through which momordicine I inhibited ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Our results demonstrated that momordicine I inhibited ISO-induced upregulations of mRNA levels and protein expressions of PLA2G6 and DGK-ζ. Collectively, momordicine I alleviated ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, which may be related to its inhibition of the expression of glycerophospholipid metabolizing enzymes PLA2G6 and DGK-ζ

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.173-177
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• 2015

This experiment was conducted to determined the optimum planting density for the production of high quality bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) adapted in spring cultivation with the unheated greenhouse condition. 'Erave' variety was planted at three different planting densities (235, 305, $380plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$) on March 26. The training method was six lateral vines with pinching the main one. The light intensity was lower in the higher planting density than the lower one. Net photosynthetic rates of the bitter gourd leaves in the higher density were significantly lower (41 to 71%) than the lower one. There was no difference in the fruit characteristics among treatments. But the root weight was heavier in the lower planting density ($235plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$) as 113.1g than 96.0g of the higher planting density ($380plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$). The number of the harvested fruit also higher in the lower planting density ($235plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$) with 60.7 than 39.9 of the higher planting density ($380plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$). The average fruit weight was the highest in the plot of $305plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$ as 338.7g and lowest in the lower planting density ($235plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$) as 285.2g. The total yield of $305plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$ density was $5,359kg{\cdot}10a^{-1}$, which was higher than $4,068kg{\cdot}10a^{-1}$ of the lower planting density ($235plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$). Marketable yield was increased by 24% in the planting density of $305plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$($4,767kg{\cdot}10a^{-1}$) as compared to the lower density in $235plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$($3,629kg{\cdot}10a^{-1}$) and increased by 13% in the planting density as $380plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$($4,137kg{\cdot}10a^{-1}$). Therefore, the planting density of bitter gourd was desirable in $305plants{\cdot}10a^{-1}$ density for the higher yield and quality in the protected cultivation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.490-500
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• 2017

This study was performed to evaluate repeated dose oral toxicity upon administration of the test substance 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one for 90 days and to determine NOAEL (no observed adverse effect level) and target organs in Sprague-Dawley rats. Single, 2-week repeated, and 13-week repeated oral dose toxicity studies were conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats. The dose levels of groups were 1,250, 2,500, and 5,000 mg/kg/d. All dose groups were compared with the vehicle control group. The animals were observed for clinical signs and weekly body weight. Urinalysis, hematology, and serum biochemistry analyses were conducted. Subsequently, animals were sacrificed and subjected to histopathological examination. For the result, NOAEL of ethanol extract from unripe fruit of bitter melon had an optimal dose of 5,000 mg/kg/d and acceptable daily intake up to 3,000 mg/man. There was no target organ detected. Therefore, bitter melon, which contains a variety of bioactive substances, could be widely used as a health functional food ingredient.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.134-144
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• 2017

This study evaluated the changes of physiochemical properties, phytochemical compounds (isoflavones and phenolic acids), and biological activity during the fermentation of Doenjang without and with bitter melon powder (BMP). The pH decreased from 6.41-5.83 to 5.81-5.24, during the fermentation of Doenjang, while the acidity increased from 0.42-0.65% to 1.28-1.48%. The viable cell numbers of Bacillus and Yeast, salinity, and total amino acid contents increased at the end fermentation (60 day). Also, the fermented Doenjang (FD) with 10% BMP showed the highest ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA, 129.87 mg/100 g) contents, among all the Doenjang samples. The FD exhibited significantly higher inhibitory activities than unfermented Doenjang (UFD) on radicals and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase. The phytochemical compounds including isoflavone-aglycones and phenolic acids increased, whereas isoflavoneglycosides decreased in the BM following fermentative processing. Moreover, the total phenolic, isoflavone-aglycone, and phenolic acid contents were markedly increased, leading to a general increase in antioxidant and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition activities after fermentation. These results suggest that BMP may be used to prepare a new type of fermented Doenjang with improved antioxidant and antidiabetic activities.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.259-266
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• 2016

Bitter melon powder (BMP) was used in the preparation of rice nuruk (RN) and makgeolli as one of raw materials. RN containing BMP (BMP-RN) was prepared by adding 0~2.0% (w/w) BMP into rice. Fermentative microbial, and antioxidant characteristics of makgeolli were determined during the fermentation process. pH during fermentation decreased from 4.52 (0% BMP-RN), 4.93 (0.5%), 4.80 (1.0%), and 4.88 (2.0%) on the initial fermentation day (day 0) to 4.15, 4.30, 4.57, and 4.59, respectively, corresponding to increases in acidity from 0.64~0.70% to 1.17~1.28%, respectively. Soluble solid contents increased from an initial 2.2~4.4 g/L (day 0) to 9.0~9.3 g/L, and alcohol level increased up to 13.0% by the end of fermentation (day 7). Soluble phenolic contents increased from 0.92, 1.01, 1.32, and 1.41 mg/mL on day 0, to 1.85, 2.03, 2.24, and 2.48 mg/mL on day 7, respectively, while the levels of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activities and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay increased from 46.95~70.04%, 55.33~74.13%, and 0.629~1.243 on day 0, respectively, to 54.98~83.4%, 70.34~92.39%, and 0.964~1.455 on day 7, respectively. Makgeolli made with BMP-RN had higher soluble phenolic contents and antioxidant activity than those of makgeolli made without BMP-RN. These results suggested that BNP-RN made a functional makgeolli.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.759-767
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• 2014

This study examined the effect of Momordica charantia L. (bitter melon: BM) on lipid and hepatic antioxidative enzyme levels in diabetic rats. Diabetes mellitus was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by injection of streptozotocin (STZ), and rats were fed for 4 weeks with experimental groups divided into four groups: a normal control group, STZ-control and STZ-BM 5% & STZ-BM 10% treated groups. Levels of free fatty acids (FFA), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol), triglycerides (TG) in plasma and malondialdehyde (MDA) & protein in liver, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and xanthine oxidase (XOD) were measured in liver cytosol. Level of HDL-chol significantly increased in the STZ-BM 5% diabetic group. TG & FFA levels were significantly higher in all diabetic groups compared to the control group. MDA and protein levels were significantly higher in the STZ-BM 5% group compared to all other experimental group. CAT level was higher in the supplementary group with BM compared to the STZ-control group, although the difference was not significantly different. SOD level was not significant in any experimental groups. GST level was significantly higher in the BM-treated groups compared to the STZ-control group. XOD level was significantly lower in the BM 5% group and significantly decreased in all experimental groups. These results show that supplementation of BM fruit powder may have beneficial effects on diabetic complications and damage caused by oxidative stress.