Evaluation of Effective Drying Temperature for Preservation of Bitter Gourd With Therapeutic Potential

Momordica charantia , has been widely recognized for its antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. Yet, the thermal treatments during the drying process can impact the stability and activity of the bioactive compounds. This work aims to investigate the impact of the drying temperature on the physicochemical, structural, and functional properties of the bitter gourd. Slices of 0.5 and 1 cm were dried at 45°C, 55°C, 65°C, and 75°C and examined for their structural integrity, dehydration–rehydration behavior, antioxidant potential, inhibition kinetics of targeted enzyme and molecular docking interaction. In every phase of drying at different temperatures, dehydration preceded diffusion‐controlled kinetics, with increased moisture removal in thinner samples. Drying at 55°C yielded optimal rehydration capacity. The dried sample at 55°C exhibited maximum inhibition of α ‐amylase (mixed‐type; K m 3.94 mM; V max 46 μmol·min −1 ·mg −1 ), β ‐amylase (competitive; K m 7.5 mM; V max ≈103 μmol·min −1 ·mg −1 ), and AChE (allosteric; K m 2.94 mM; V max 0.91 μmol·min −1 ·mg −1 ) activity. The optimum antioxidant activity with respect to DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP was found at 55°C of drying with the highest TPC amount of 86.16 ± 1.5 mg GAE/100/g. FTIR spectra confirmed the retention of hydroxyl and glycosidic functional groups, while XRD patterns revealed reduced crystallinity and partial amorphization of the matrix at moderate drying conditions. Molecular docking further supported the inhibitory potential, showing strong binding affinities (−6.93 to −10.07 kcal·mol −1 ) of major bitter gourd phytochemicals, including Momordicosides‐K, Vicine, and Momordicin‐I, with α ‐amylase and AChE targets. Overall, the results indicate that drying at 55°C effectively preserves structural integrity and bio‐functional properties of bitter gourd, suggesting its potential application in the development of functional foods with antidiabetic and neuroprotective benefits.