Influence of variety on the quality of processed bitter gourd (Karela).

Five cultivars of bittergourd [KaTela] namely BG-12, BG-13, BG-14, C-96
and Sel-l. developed by Punjab Agricultural University [P.A.U.J Ludhiana, were analysed
for their physico-chemical characteristics and assessed for their suitability for
processing. All the varieties were found 10 be a good source of ascorbic acid and a fair
source of protein. The sugar content was found to he low in all the cultivars. Ascorbic
acid appeared to decrease with the size of the fruit whereas protein content
increased with the size of the fruit. Losses in ascorbic acid during processing has
also been tabulated. The cultivar BG-14 was found to be the best for canning followed
by C-96 mainly due to their superior colour. texture and flavour. For the purpose of
dehydration, the cultivar BG-14 is recommended followed by cultivar BG-13 because
they reconstituted to their original shape reasonably well and had good acceptance in
curry preparation.