LAUSR

BACKGROUND Bitter melon is widely applied to the treatment of diabetes and obesity, but few studies focused on the processing procedure of bitter melon. The differences in physical properties, bioaccessibility and anti-obesity activity of bitter melon powder (BMP) produced with or without superfine grinding were investigated to optimize an effective processing procedure. RESULTS Results showed that superfine grinding could improve the physical properties of BMP, represented by greater bulk density, lower water holding capacity and higher bioactive compounds solubilities. Superfine grinding remarkably affected the bioaccessibility of phenolics and the antioxidant capacity of bitter melon during in vitro digestion. Meanwhile, after a four-week treatment, BMP25 showed a greater anti-obesity activity with reducing the serum insulin levels from 16.47 to 13.10 mIU·L-1 , reversing high-fat diet (HFD) -induced glucose intolerance, decreasing levels of serum lipids and hepatic lipid accumulation compared with HFD group. CONCLUSION In conclusion, superfine grinding was beneficial for improving the physical properties and bioaccessibility, simultaneously facilitating the anti-obesity activity of bitter melon, which will provide a reference for direct utilization of bitter melon as a health food to relieve symptoms of obesity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.