Momordica cochinchinensis, commonly known as Gac is a notable vegetable of interest. It is botanically classified in the Cucurbitaceae family and has long been used as a food and traditional medicine in the regions in which it grows (Iwamoto et al., 1985). It is a Southeast Asian fruit found throughout the region from Southern China to Northeastern Australia (Kubola et al.,2011). It is also known as Baby Jackfruit, Spiny Bitter Gourd, Sweet Gourd, or Cochinchin Gourd but locally as “Buno Kakrol” in Bangladesh. Buno Kakrol is mainly harvested by the tribal people from the forest areas of Bangladesh and used as vegetable.
The Momordica species have been used in indigenous medical systems in various countries in Asia and Africa. Based on the indigenous knowledge, wild plant foods play a vital role in the complex cultural system of tribal people for reducing various disorders. The green fruits and leaves of Momordica species play a major role in improving human health by offering nutritional and nutraceutical components. There has been no research on phytochemical content of Momordica cochinchinensis natively produced in Bangladesh. Yet Gac fruit cultivated in Thailand and Vietnam have been found to be rich in carotenoids (β-carotene and lycopene) and vitamin E (Vuong et al.,2006). Thus native Gac fruit of Bangladesh may potentially provide functional ingredients, which can be harvested to be used in nutraceuticals.
