Gac plants, known scientifically as Momordica Cochinchinnensis Spreng, have simply not yet received the worldwide attention that they deserve. Known only to a very few scientists as one of the world’s best natural sources of Beta Carotene and Lycopene, it stays too removed from the world stage to be tested properly… I’d imagine that they will find more wonders inside when they do so.

Until then, only one scientist has done any serious research on Gac, and we have the results for you here. Hailing from Vietnam herself, Thuy-Le Vong has a Ph.D in Nutrition from the University of California, and wrote the following paper in October 2003. Sadly, it hasn’t been passed around enough since. I hope we can help her to that end.

You’ll find that this paper, in PDF format, isn’t overly difficult for a layman to read. If you have any interest in the composition of Gac fruit, I cannot recommend for you a better resource to learn about it from.

Gac – a Fruit from Heaven

Abstract:

In Vietnam, the Gac fruit (Momordica Cochinchinnensis Spreng) is an excellent source of beta-carotene (17-35 mg/100g of edible part). This fruit is familiar to indigenous people and is easy to grow. However it has been under-utilized because it is available only 3 months out of a year; there has been no effort to educate the at-risk population about its nutritional benefit and research efforts in production or preservation techniques have been lacking. This paper describes the fruit, compares its nutritional value with familiar carotenoid-rich fruits, details its traditional usage in preparing rice, and discusses the acceptance of this rice preparation (xoi gac) to Vietnamese preschoolers in their daily diet. Financial support for research directed at improving the production and preservation of indigenous b-carotene-rich crops is needed to alleviate the problem of vitamin A deficiency of children in northern Vietnam.


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