Phenolic Compounds in Bitter Melons Collected from Different Regions of Korea

In this paper, we described the variation in levels of phenolic compounds from bitter melon fruits, as analyzed for the first time by high-performance liquid chromatography. The plants were grown under controlled conditions from seeds collected from six different locations in Korea. Catechin was present at much higher levels than any other phenolic compound; the other compounds, in order by amount, were benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzoic acid, p-coumaric acid, trans-cinnamic acid, ferulic acid and kaempferol. The bitter melon from Kumsan contained the highest amounts of catechin, benzoic acid and trans-cinnamic acid, whereas the bitter melon from Namwon contained the lowest amounts of catechin and most of the other phenolic compounds. The quantity of catechin was 2.43 times as high in the Kumsan sample as in the Namwon sample. Our results suggest that the bitter melon grown in Kumsan is the best potential source of phenolic compounds.