Bitter Melon Extract Powder

Bitter melon extract is made from the fruit of Momordica charantia, taken green and unripe, when the flesh is crunchy, watery and strongly bitter. Water extraction concentrates the soluble fruit fraction, and the liquor is dried to a light brown powder. Leaves, seeds and roots are left out.

The 10:1 ratio extract of bitter melon carries no charantin percentage. Water dispersibility is good and the grind is 80 mesh. A charantin-graded extract, the plain fruit powder and the juice powder are separate products with different compositions.

SKU: BOT-BEX-0051 Category: Botanical Extracts Tags: Bitter Melon, Capsules & Tablets, Fruit & Berry, Plant Extracts, Water Dispersible, Water Extracted

Momordica charantia Fruit Identity & Plant Part

The botanical entity is Momordica charantia L., a tendril-bearing climbing vine of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, grown across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. English names include bitter melon, bitter gourd and balsam pear, and karela in Hindi. The part used is the fruit, picked green, sliced and dried. Vines, young shoots eaten as greens, seeds and roots are not part of this bitter melon extract.

Ripeness is part of identity. A fruit allowed to ripen turns orange and soft, then splits into segments that curl back to show seeds in bright red pulp. The green fruit used here is a different material from that ripe stage, and a specification that says only “bitter melon” gives no clue which one is meant.

The vine is frost-tender, an annual in temperate gardens and a perennial in the tropics, and its leaves are lobed into three to seven deep segments.

Bitter Melon Extract vs Powders & Grade

Form	What It Is	Choose It When
10:1 Bitter Melon Fruit Extract	Water-extracted, concentrated and dried M. charantia fruit	A dispersible fruit extract without a marker is wanted
Bitter Melon Extract 0.5–1% Charantin	Standardized extract with a defined charantin range	The specification names a charantin figure
Bitter Melon Juice Powder	Dried bitter melon juice on a carrier	A juice-based profile is wanted
Bitter Melon Powder	Dried, milled whole fruit	Whole-fruit fiber and bulk are acceptable

For this bitter melon extract, 10:1 means ten parts of sliced green fruit behind each part of powder. It reports nothing about charantin or momordicoside content, and a bitter melon lot can taste quite different from another at the same ratio when the fruit types differ.

The standardized extract applies when a label has to carry a charantin figure. The ratio extract suits formulas that need bitter melon identity in a dispersible form. The juice powder rests on a carrier and a different drying route, while the plain powder is the whole-fruit option and adds fiber.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Momordica charantia
Plant Part	Fruit & Berry
Processing	Water Extraction
Common Name	Bitter Melon, Bitter Gourd, Karela
Ingredient Type	Ratio Extract
Extract Ratio	10:1
Appearance	Light Brown powder
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Dispersible
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)	≤5.0%
Total Ash	≤5.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Application Areas

Bitter Fruit Capsule Fills

Capsule shells hide the strong bitterness of the green fruit in bitter melon extract, and 10:1 concentration keeps fill weight below that of a milled fruit powder. The dispersible solid breaks up quickly in water, and a disintegration check is still run on each fill.

Coated Tablets for Bitter Fruit

Coated bitter melon extract tablets keep the bitter taste off the tongue and limit moisture pickup by the mildly sticky extract. Hardness and disintegration are checked after a few weeks of storage, and a pilot batch comes first because the sticky powder can foul the punches.

Karela-Style Tea Sachets

Tea-style sachets pair bitter melon extract with chrysanthemum, honey-style sweeteners or ginger. Sweet and aromatic herbs round off the vegetal bitterness, and the powder dissolves in hot water to a pale amber infusion without leaving fruit fibers.

Bitter-Masked Drink Sticks

Powder sticks hold bitter melon extract with a sweetener, an acid and a strongly flavored carrier. The masking system is built first and the extract added to it, so that bitterness is judged in the finished serving.

Formulation Notes

The powder is light brown with a faint green, vegetal aroma and a strong, lingering bitter taste. Stirred into water, it gives a pale amber liquid with a light haze. Saponin content makes the liquid foam when agitated, so dissolve the bitter melon extract with gentle stirring and avoid high-shear mixing where foam would be a nuisance.

Bitterness is the central design problem in sweet or neutral products. Strong flavors and sweeteners go in early, so that taste is judged on the whole recipe and not on the extract alone. Mix the bitter melon extract with a small amount of the carrier first and screen out soft lumps before filling.

Dried bitter melon extract takes up water and cakes in humid rooms. After opening, reseal the liner and finish the container within a sensible time, because room air darkens this light brown powder and leaves it sticky.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.