Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) is indigenous to Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia. Its seed pulp contains high concentrations of carotenoids, especially the provitamin A, @entity2066 . In northern Vietnam, gac fruits are seasonal and are mainly used in making a @entity579 dish called xoi gac. The purpose of this study was to develop a method to collect and preserve gac fruit oil, to evaluate the nutritional composition of the oil, and to assess the acceptability of the gac oil by typical Vietnamese homemakers. One hundred @entity1 participated in training to learn how to prepare the fruits and operate the oil press. The @entity1 also participated in a survey of gac fruit use and their habitual use of animal fat and vegetable oil. Among all the @entity1 in the training and surveys, 35 @entity1 actually produced oil from gac fruits grown in the village, using manual oil presses and locally available materials. The total carotene concentration in gac fruit oil was 5,700 micrograms/ml. The concentration of @entity2066 was 2,710 micrograms/ml. Sixty-nine percent of total fat was unsaturated, and 35% of that was polyunsaturated. The average daily consumption of gac fruit oil was estimated at 2 ml per @entity1 . The daily @entity2066 intake (from gac fruit oil) averaged approximately 5 mg per @entity1 . It was found that gac oil can be produced locally by village @entity1 using manual presses and locally available materials. The oil is a rich source of @entity2066 , @entity270 , and essential @entity1718 . Although the @entity2066 concentration declines with time without a preservative or proper storage, it was still high after three months. The oil was readily accepted by the @entity1 and their @entity1 , and consumption of the oil increased the intake of @entity2066 and reduced the intake of lard.

A method of preserving and testing the acceptability of gac fruit oil, a good source of @entity2066 and essential XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'women', 'children', 'person'] @entity270 :: ('MESH:D014810', 'Chemical') :: ['vitamin E'] @entity2066 :: ('MESH:D019207', 'Chemical') :: ['beta-carotene'] @entity579 :: ('4530', 'Species') :: ['rice'] @entity1718 :: ('MESH:D005227', 'Chemical') :: ['fatty acids']
@entity1718 :: (MESH:D005227,Chemical) :: ['fatty acids']
