Benincasa Hispida Extract Powder

Benincasa hispida, the winter melon or wax gourd, a large trailing vine grown across Asia for its heavy, waxy-skinned fruit, supplies the fruit for this extract. The fruit is extracted in water, concentrated and dried to a light brown powder. Seeds, vines and leaves of the plant are not used.

This benincasa hispida extract is a 10:1 ratio extract with no marker assay. The powder is milled to 80 mesh and disperses in water. A plain winter melon vegetable powder of the same fruit is listed as a separate product, and the table below sets out how the two forms differ in use.

Benincasa hispida Fruit Source & Identity

The botanical entity is Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn., a trailing annual vine of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, grown across Asia for its large, waxy-skinned fruit. The part used is the fruit. The seeds and the rind, both of which are separate herbal materials, and the vine are not part of this benincasa hispida extract.

The name winter melon invites mix-ups. Despite the word melon, the plant is not a sweet melon, and it is a different genus from the cucumber and from the bitter gourd. Chinese herbal practice separates the flesh, the peel (dongguapi) and the seed (dongguazi) as three materials.

The fruit is mostly water, with a small solid fraction of carbohydrate, triterpenes and sterols.

Benincasa Hispida Extract vs Vegetable Powder

FormWhat It IsChoose It When
10:1 Benincasa Hispida ExtractWater extract of the fruit, ratio-definedA concentrated, dispersible extract is needed
Winter Melon PowderDried winter melon vegetable powder, no extractionA food-type vegetable powder with fibre is wanted

The 10:1 ratio measures fruit going into the benincasa hispida extract. It is not a marker assay. Because fresh winter melon holds a very high share of water, the solid fraction that reaches the extract is small, and the ratio describes how much fruit is concentrated into the powder rather than the strength of any compound.

The vegetable powder keeps the whole dried tissue, including its fibre, and behaves as a bulk food ingredient. The extract is a concentrated soluble fraction and disperses without the grittiness of a milled vegetable.

Typical Specifications

Specification ItemProduct Information
Latin NameBenincasa hispida
Plant PartFruit & Berry
ProcessingWater Extraction
Common NameWinter Melon, Wax Gourd
Ingredient TypeRatio Extract
Extract Ratio10:1
AppearanceLight Brown powder
Solubility / DispersibilityWater Dispersible
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)≤5.0%
Total Ash≤5.0%
Particle Size80 mesh
Heavy MetalsLead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
MicrobiologyTPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Application Areas

Capsules for a Mild Fruit Extract

Benincasa hispida extract has a bland, slightly sweet taste, so benincasa hispida extract is easy to formulate into capsules without masking. Fill after a flow check at 80 mesh. A carbohydrate-rich dried extract can pick up moisture, so keep the hopper covered and the filling room dry.

Tablets with Moisture Barrier

Tablets from a sugar-bearing vegetable extract soften as they absorb moisture. Use a dry binder, a late-added lubricant and a film coat that gives a moisture barrier, then compare hardness at pressing and after a week of storage.

Drink Powder Sticks

Winter melon has a long food tradition as a sweet tea in Asia, so benincasa hispida extract fits drink sticks. It disperses to a pale tan, mildly sweet liquid. Brown sugar, tea or jasmine-style flavours match the traditional winter melon tea profile.

Fibre-Carrier Sachets

In sachets the powder rides in a sugar, maltodextrin or fibre carrier. Sieve benincasa hispida extract into the carrier before filling to keep it from clumping at the surface, and check dose uniformity at the start, middle and end of the run.

Bar and Gummy Premixes

For bars and gummies, add the extract to the dry premix. Its mild taste does not compete with fruit or nut flavours, and the tan colour is easy to cover in a brown or coloured base. Check bar stickiness after a week, because sugar-bearing extracts hold moisture.

Formulation Notes

Benincasa hispida extract is a light brown powder with a faint, sweet vegetable smell. For benincasa hispida, in water it forms a pale tan dispersion with a light haze. The extract has a mild taste, so it works as a base note rather than a dominant flavour, and the colour is gentle enough for lightly coloured drinks.

Make a smooth paste with a little water, then dilute, if the powder balls up when added dry. In a dry blend the extract is best introduced as a sieved premix rather than poured in whole. For benincasa hispida, after each scoop, close the liner firmly; an opened drum should not stand near steam or on a damp floor.

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 ItemGeneral Information
SampleAvailable upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead TimeTypically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead TimeTypically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
PackagingSuitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
StorageStore 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.
DocumentationCOA · 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.

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