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Elucidation and characterization of cucurbitacin as antifungal agent from bitter gourd
(Momordica charantia) fruit extract and its efficacy against Fusarium oxysporum and
Aspergillus niger

1
* 1
1 Safwan Hafiz, Suhaizan Lob , Fauziah Tufail Ahmad

1 Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu,
21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

* Corresponding author: suhaizanlob@.umt.edu.my

Abstract:
Momordica charantia L. is a cucurbitaceous medicinal vegetable that grows in the tropical and
subtropical parts of the world. In addition to their nutritional value Momordica charantia known to
contain beneficial phytochemical compounds. Their bitter taste assumed contributed by the presence of
certains phytochemicals such as cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacin are classified as terpenoid and assumed to
be major chemical component in all parts of bitter gourd plants. Cucurbitacins found to be the main
contributor to the bitter taste and related to the antimicrobial properties of bitter gourd. The
phytotoxicity of cucurbitacins against phytophatogenic fungus were supported by numbers of scientific
evidences. Fusarium and aspergillus fungal species are among the common causative agent on plant
diseases. Risk of fungal resistant toward synthetic fungicides and its toxic residue to human and nature
has stimulated study on natural antifungal products. Analytical method was established using high
performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and cucurbitacin B were detected at 0.167 mg/g in crude
extract of M. charantia fruit. Antifungal properties of the M. charantia fruit extract were tested using
poisoned food technique against Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%
and 40% concentration with 0% concentration acts as control. Evaluation was conducted at day 7 of
inoculation through observation and diameter of mycelial growth. Species of Fusarium oxysporum was
inhibited at all concentration with 40% concentration showed maximum inhibition at 49%. While
Aspergillus niger were only inhibited at 40% extract concentration with 9.67% of mycelial growth
inhibition. M. charantia fruit and other plant can be useful as source of organic antifungal but more
studies are needed to optimize the extraction of the active compound from the plant for proper antifungal
development.

Keywords: HPLC, Phytochemical, Cucurbitacin, Antifungal, Phytotoxicity