Gac

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an article about the gac fruit. For other uses, see Gac (disambiguation).

Gac
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Cucurbitales Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Momordica L.
Species
Momordica cochinchinensis

Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng., commonly known as gac (from Vietnamese: gấc), is a Southeast Asian fruit found predominantly in Vietnam. It is also known as Spiny Bitter Gourd, Sweet Gourd, or Cochinchin Gourd. It has been traditionally used as both food and medicine in the regions in which it grows.

Because it has a relatively short harvest season (which peaks in December and January), making it less abundant than other foods, gac is typically served at ceremonial or festive occasions in Vietnam, such as weddings. It is most commonly prepared as a dish called xôi gấc, in which the aril and seeds of the fruit are cooked in rice, imparting both their color and flavor. More recently, the fruit has begun to be marketed outside of Asia in the form of juice dietary supplements because of its allegedly high phytonutrient content.

Gac grows on vines and is usually collected from fence climbers or from wild plants. However, the vines are sometimes cultivated in home gardens and can be commonly seen growing on lattices at the entrances to rural homes. It only fruits once a year, and is found seasonally in local markets. The fruit itself becomes a dark orange color upon ripening, and is typically round or oblong, maturing to a size of about 13 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter. Its exterior skin is covered in small spines while its dark red interior is divided into six carpels, or segments, of fleshy pulp and seeds.

[edit] Uses

Other than its cultivation for special Vietnamese dishes, gac is also used for its medicinal and nutritional properties. In Vietnam the seed membranes are used to aid in the relief of dry eyes, as well as to promote healthy vision. Similarly, in Traditional Chinese medicine the seeds of gac, known as mubiezi (Chinese: 木鳖子) are employed for a variety of internal and external purposes. Recent attention is also beginning to be attracted in the West because of chemical analysis of the fruit suggesting that it has high concentrations of several important phytonutrients.

Gac has been shown to be especially high in lycopene content. Relative to mass, it contains up to 70 times the amount of lycopene found in tomatoes.^[1] It has also been found to contain up to 10 times the amount of beta-carotene of carrots or sweet potatoes. Additionally, the carotenoids present in gac are bound to long-chain fatty acids, resulting in what is claimed to be a more bioavailable form.^[2] There has also been recent research that suggests that gac contains a protein that may inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.^[3]

[edit] References