Download Watermelon: The Redder, The Better

Ingredients
Watermelon:
The Redder, The Better
by Rico R. Magda
The phytonutrients-rich watermelon has been discovered to contain some
bioactive compounds. These compounds can assimilate with our body
to start some healthy and beneficial reactions. Some of the bioactive
ingredients include blood vessel relaxant and immune system booster. More
studies on watermelon have revealed further benefits, making the list longer
for this amazing fruit. Watermelon juice with no added sugar in containers
has been made available in some selected market outlets. It takes over a
pound (0.454 kg) of fresh watermelon to have an 8-ounce serving.
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Food Marketing+Technology_2x70x297.indd 1
Watermelon: A Holiday Staple
In the USA, the Fourth of July or
Independence Day is almost always
celebrated with slices of cold watermelon.
The habit of indulging in watermelon
during such celebration has made the
fruit a holiday staple there. Recent studies,
however, claim that watermelon is more
appropriately suited for celebrating
Valentine’s Day due to its Viagra-like
effect on sustaining libido. The deepred flesh has a high concentration of
lycopene, an anti-oxidant that protects
skin, prostate, and heart. As a source of
lycopene, fresh watermelon intake in the
US has been increasing. So far, watermelon
has replaced tomato as the lycopene king.
Besides watermelon, grapefruits and pink
guavas also give lycopene and are not
consumed in fresh form but processed as
fruit juices.
Aside from the carotenoid phytonutrient
lycopene, health advocates and researchers
are also interested in the citrulline content
of fresh watermelon. Citrulline is an amino
acid that kidneys and organ system in the
body convert it into another amino acid
arginine. A modest cup of watermelon has
250 mg of citrulline, which helps the body
to have the needed amount of arginine.
When citrulline is converted into arginine,
the body improves its blood flow, which
relates to cardiovascular maintenance. On
the other side, researchers claim that this
conversion process also prevents extra fat
storage in the fat cells.
Rich Nutrients Inside
Inside a ripe watermelon, a high concentration of lycopene, Vitamin C,
flavonoids, and phenolic antioxidants are
almost equally distributed. This would
help anyone from thinking that only the
27.04.16 09:15
central part of the ripe fruit is filled with
rich nutrients. Even the parts nearest
to the rind have a lot of concentrated
nutrients.
Eating a mature red-fleshed watermelon
has the most nutritional and medicinal
benefits one can get. A white-pink
watermelon has no beta-carotene and
lycopene. The process of ripening in
watermelon produces more lycopene,
beta-carotene, flavonoids, and phenolic
anti-oxidants. The amount of these
substances reaches the most when the
fruit is in full red flesh.
Due to the phenolic compounds found
in watermelon, it can give some antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant rewards.
These compounds found in red-fleshed
watermelon include carotenoids,
flavonoids, and triterpenoids.
Researchers have found that the amount
of lycopene remains stable in the freshly
cut watermelon stored over 48 hours
in cold storage. For 48 hours, freshly
cut watermelon stored at 36˚ F (2˚C)
has stable lycopene content and shows
no breakdown. Only after some 2 days
in storage that lycopene shows some
decreasing amount of about 6 to 11%. So
China
69,139,643
Turkey
3,864,489
Iran
3,250,000
Brazil
2,198,624
U.S.A.
1,688,040
Total
104,472,354
Table 1:Top 5 Global Watermelon Producers
Source: UN FAOSTAT
food Marketing & Technology • June 2016
Ingredients
help in the prevention of too much loading
of fat in the body.
enjoy watermelon’s freshness once it has
been cubed or sliced.
Watermelon is also rich with another
anti-inflammatory phytonutrient known
as Cucurbitacin E, a triterpenoid. This
phytonutrient functions like lycopene and
has the capacity of blocking the activity of
cyclo-oxygenase enzymes that intensify
inflammatory response.
Lycopene and Beta-carotene Inside
Another carotenoid anti-oxidant in
watermelon is beta-carotene, which
similarly increases in amount upon
reaching full-fruit maturity. In contrast
with the yellow-fleshed watermelon, redfleshed one has more amounts of lycopene
and beta-carotene. A study has revealed
that red watermelon contains some 600 µg
beta-carotene and 6,500 µg lycopene per
3.5 ounces of fresh red watermelon.
On the other hand, the yellow-fleshed
watermelon has only 5 to 10 µg of betacarotene and little or no traces of lycopene.
For daily nutrition, there’s a lot of room for
improving one’s health with it since the
fruit is loaded with phytonutrients, some
key vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers.
New areas of research on watermelon’s
citrulline as related to fat accumulation
have been opened for further studies.
According to test trials on animal
subjects, higher intake of citrulline and
its conversion to arginine can have the
products called polyarginine peptides.
These products are capable of stopping
the activity of TNAP enzymes (Tissue
non-specific alkaline phosphatase), which
results in less fat production. Researchers,
so far, are figuring out how the results can
food Marketing & Technology • June 2016
Several slices of watermelon may give you
some 175 to 200 calories, which are rich in
both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers.
These fibers are good for the digestive and
cardiovascular systems.
There are about 600 to 1,200 existing
watermelon varieties today. Though
numerous in numbers, these species
belong to the same genus and species
called Citrullis lanatus.
Seedless Watermelons on the Dining
Tables
The popularity of having some seedless
watermelon on our dining table may
lead to the conclusion that the stuff is
genetically engineered. Contrary to this
misconception, seedless watermelons
are the product of hybridization process,
which crosses a diploid (having 2 sets of
chromosomes) with a tetraploid (having
4 sets of chromosomes) watermelon.
The end products are watermelons that
have triploid seeds, having 3 sets of
chromosomes.
Agronomists or simply farmers use the
triploid seeds as the planting materials
to produce seedless watermelons. In
real world, these are not actually seeds
but merely some empty white seed
coats embedded in the watermelon
flesh.
Some years earlier, it was hard to find
seedless watermelons in the market place.
At this point of time, seedless watermelon
seems to be ubiquitous in the market
place. In the US market place, about 85%
is seedless. Thanks for the use of what they
call “non-bearing pollinators” capable of
flowering but not bearing fruits.
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Key No. 86964
Photos + Tables: Rico R. Magda
Protein-rich Seeds and Dietary Fibers
Aside from the fleshy red portion, each
watermelon can also provide us with
several hundred seeds, which are rich
in iron and zinc. Despite the oxalates
and phytates embedded in watermelon
seeds, zinc and iron in seeds are 85 to 95%
bioavailable. So, by consuming some 24
pieces of seeds, one can get 1 gram of
protein from these seeds. Though still
miniscule, it offers a valuable protein
benefit to one’s diet.
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Ingredients
Watermelon had its origin in Africa
some thousand years ago, as most crop
historians postulate, and later spread
from there to Asia, Europe, and North
America. The European colonization of
North America marked the arrival of this
fruit in what is named today as the USA,
which today produces some 4 billion
pounds watermelon yearly. Each person
in the USA consumes about 15 pounds
(6.802 kg) of fresh watermelon per year.
In buying whole watermelons, buyers
should be aware on some features that
make a good buy for uncut watermelon.
Foremost is the weight, which should
be heavy for its mature size. It’s good to
remember that watermelon has a good
amount of water (90% or more) as it fully
ripens. Second feature will be on the look
of the fruit. It must have a smooth rind
with a dull look atop. On the other side,
looking at the bottom part, it should show
a cream-yellow color bottom indicating
maturity or ripeness. When this part is still
white or green, this indicates immaturity
and has still a fleshy white content.
Buying a Good, Ripe Watermelon
Testing a watermelon for ripeness with a
thump is also a way, but a few don’t agree
on this. But experts agree on this method
and arguably a quicker way of knowing
if the fruit has reached its full maturity.
Accordingly, a fully-ripened fruit gives
a deep hollow bass sound compared
with the immature one that gives a solid,
shallow sound.
Here is another option to use if the buyer
is not sure whether the fruit is ripe or not:
let the seller core an uncut watermelon. By
coring the fruit, buyer sees, and perhaps,
tastes the fruit.
Whole fruits can be stored at 50 to 60˚F
(10 to 16˚C). Storing whole red-fleshed
variety can increase the lycopene content
when stored at 20˚C. Storage below 10˚C,
however, is not advisable due to chilling
injury that contributes to shorter shelf life
and diminishing flavor. In other words,
refrigerator would not be a good storage
for the whole, uncut watermelons. It
should not be stored with other fruits like
apples, pears, papaya, or passion fruits
as these fruits generate much ethylene
gas during the ripening process. Much
ethylene makes the fruit to over-ripe
in shorter period of storage. Cut whole
fruits placed inside sealed glass or plastic
containers, can still be preserved in the
fridge to maintain the taste, juiciness and
flavor for a very short time (6 days, at
least).
Energy
127 kJ (30kcl)
Carbohydrates
17.91 g
Sugars
6.20g
Dietary fiber
0.4g
Fat
0.15g
Protein
0.16g
Water
91.45g
Vitamin Aequivalent
28µg (4%)
Beta-carotene
303µg (3%)
Thiamine (Vit B1)
0.033mg (3%
Riboflavin (Vit B2)
0.021mg
(2%)
Niacin (Vit B3)
0.178mg
(1%)
Panthothenic
(B5)
acid
0.221mg
(4%)
Vitamin B6
0.045mg
(3%)
Chloline
4.1mg (1%)
Vitamin C
8.1mg (10%)
Calcium
7mg (1%)
Iron
0.24mg (2%)
Watermelon flesh can be cubed, scooped as
balls, or sliced and eaten as is or use as an
addition for making fruit salad. Aside from
the fleshy part, one can also enjoy the rind
prepared as a delightful pickle or candy.
Magnesium
10mg (3%)
Manganese
0.038mg
(2%)
Phosphorus
11mg (2%)
Potassium
112mg (2%)
Watermelon as fruit or vegetable does
not contain oxalates or purines, which
makes it a non-allergenic food. In a report
“Shopper’s Guide to Pesticide” from the
Environmental Working Group, 2012,
watermelon is not included in the 12 foods
that most frequently contain pesticide
residues.
Sodium
1mg (0%)
In China, some years earlier, some media
agencies exposed the use of a growth
stimulator in hastening the production
of watermelon. This exposure led to a
large-scale controversy due to abusive
application of the stimulant. The excessive
use coupled by heavy rainfall yielded with
some exploded watermelons in some
farms especially in Jiangsu due to the
stimulant called forchlorfenuron. Residues
of the stimulant in watermelon could have
the range of 1 to 5 ppb (parts per billion)
some researchers predicted. To be on the
safer side, buyers should look for certified
6
organic watermelon to lessen the risk of
contamination since growth stimulator
and synthetic additives are not allowed
in producing food organically.
Zinc
0.1mg (1%)
Lycopene
4,532µg
Table 2, Source: USDA
Nutritional Values and Some Existing
Varieties
The nutritional values of watermelon
according to the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
are shown in Table 2 with a given raw
sample of 100g (3.5oz).
There are some 1,200 existing varieties
of watermelons ranging from less than
a pound to over 200 pounds in weight
having various colors of red, orange,
yellow, pink, and white. Interestingly,
some can be selected due to outstanding
characteristics. The Carolina Cross,
for instance, has the world record for
heaviness at 262 pounds (119 kg). This
food Marketing & Technology • June 2016
Ingredients
variety commonly produces fruits from
65 to 150 pounds (29 to 68 kg) at maturity.
There’s also a very sweet, honeyflavored, yellow-fleshed watermelon,
which is sweeter than the red-fleshed.
This variety is called Yellow Crimson.
Similarly, an orange type, which is also
very sweet, is called Orangeglo. Pinkfleshed variety is called Moon and Stars
which weighs from 9 to 23 kilos (20 to
50 pounds).
Oddity and Watermelon
In Hokkaido Island, Japan, a certain
variety called Dansuke weighs some 25
pounds upon maturity. Each year, this
island produces some 10,000 Dansuke
watermelons. In an auction sale, the
first harvested watermelon was sold at
650,000 yen (US$ 6,300), which makes
it the most expensive watermelon ever
sold.
Also in Japan, watermelon farmers have
found ways of maturing the fruit into
various shapes: cube, pyramid, and
other polyhedral shapes. In the Zentsuji
region, farmers grow the fruits in glass
cube, letting them to grow naturally in
the receptacles. The first idea surfaced
from the fact that cubed watermelons are
easier to handle in terms of storage and
stacking. But due to its novelty, cubic
watermelons have become fast sellers
that the price is fetched more than double
the normal ones.
New Trends on Watermelon
Production
What’s new in the world of watermelon?
Some researchers of the ARS (Agricultural
Research Service, USA) have developed
some low-sugar watermelons with high
lycopene content ideal for diabetics and
for people on low-carbs diet.
Consumers always associate sugar
content in watermelon with the color of
the flesh, so the remark that the redder
the color, the better the fruit. This is
explained by the fact that the redder
the hue, the higher is the amount of
the total soluble solids (TSS) in it. From
the marketing perspective, people are
attracted and therefore like to eat redder
watermelon than the pink one, which is
almost always associated with unripe
fruits.
With the coming of mini-watermelons
originating from research labs, of about
6 inches in diameter and weighing only
between 3 to 7 pounds, seedless, with
thin rind and having good uniform
flavor throughout, consumers have been
getting now their ideal sweet treat.
Mini-watermelons now sold in the
market have heavy load of lycopene and
beta-carotene ranging from 6,700 to 9,600
µg per 100 grams, much higher than the
large-sized melons having 3,700 to 6,900
µg per 100 grams.
With some value added products like
lycopene as dietary supplements or
food colorants, watermelon has become
a foodstuff not just for outing and for
picnic activities.
Key No. 88199
The Author:
Rico R. Magda is plant pathologist at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños and a regular
contributor to FMT
7
food Marketing & Technology • April
June 2016
Key No. 88093