Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 13:43-44 (Article 16) 1990
Nutrients in Seeds of Edible Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)
Kechi Ma
Department of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China (PRC)
Xing-ping Zhang and Ming Wang
Department of Horticulture, Northwestern Agricultural University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China (PRC)
Although there are other processed products from the flesh of edible seed watermelons in China, the main purpose
is seed production. The seeds are roasted and eaten, with or without salting. Therefore, the economic value of
these watermelons is dependent upon seed yields and nutrient values. A clear understanding of the nutrient make-up of seeds and their diversity among accessions are of practical importance for improvement of seed quality.
In 1987, dry seeds, with the seed coats removed, from three edible watermelon seed accessions (SW-1 and SW-2
with white-black seed coats, and SW-3 with red seed coats) were tested for nutrient content. Seeds were evaluated
for amount of crude protein and fat, 17 amino acids, and fatty acid composition. Determinations were performed at
the Center Laboratory at Northwestern Agricultural University. Analyses of crude protein and fat, amino acids, and
fatty acids were determined on a MRK MR-150 KJEL auto nitrogen and protein analyzer, a MRK FATEX-P fat
extractor, a BEKMAN 121MB amino acid analyzer, and a HITACHI 663-30 gas chromatograph, respectively.
The results of the crude protein and fat analyses are shown in Table 1. Similar analyses were previously reported
for African and common watermelon accessions (1). The crude protein content of the edible seed lines in this test
were much lower than were found in the seeds of the African lines (33.9 to 43.6%). However, the crude fat content
in the edible seeds is similar to the African accessions (37.7 to 46.8%). Fatty acid composition of the edible seed
revealed a very high proportion of the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid (C18:2) (Table 2). The proportion of linoleic
acid in accessions SW-2 and SW-3 is much higher than the high quality plant oils from soybean (52.2%) and
sesame (43.7%) (2). The very high proportion of the unsaturated linoleic acid in edible watermelon seed could
provide a nutritious new source of the fatty acid used in the reduction of cholesterol and the prevention of
arteriosclerosis in humans. In addition, edible watermelon seeds contain significant amounts of the essential amino
acids (Table 3).
Even though the number of accessions of edible watermelon seed studied were limited, diversity in nutritive
characters was observed. The greatest diversity was found in total fat content (38.6% to 47.9%) and the proportion
of linoleic acid (31.17 to 72.98%). This shows us there is a high potential for genetic improvement of nutrients in
edible watermelon seed.
Literature Cited
- Wang, Ming and Xing-ping Zhang. 1988. Evaluation and utilization of the valuable African watermelon
germplasm. Journal of Fruit Science 5(3):109-115.
- Wang, Ming. Nutrients of Food. (Book of Chinese).
Table 1. The crude protein and crude fat contents (%) of seed of edible seed watermelon. |
Accessions |
Crude Protein |
Crude Fat |
SW-1 |
26.77 |
38.69 |
SW-2 |
28.15 |
44.39 |
SW-3 |
27.69 |
47.93 |
Table 2. The fatty acid components and their proportions (%) of edible seed watermelon seeds. |
Accessions |
C14:0 |
C16:0 |
C16:1 |
C18:0 |
C18:1 |
C18:2* |
C18:3* |
SW-1 |
0.6 |
33.28 |
0.98 |
14.90 |
15.32 |
31.17 |
2.07 |
SW-2 |
trace |
10.03 |
trace |
3.18 |
9.46 |
77.33 |
none |
SW-3 |
0.22 |
10.56 |
trace |
4.19 |
12.44 |
72.98 |
none |
*Essential fatty acids. |
Table 3. The amino acid content of edible seed watermelon seeds (g/100g).z |
Amino Acids |
SW-1 |
SW-1 |
SW-3 |
Asp |
3.334 |
3.211 |
3.003 |
Thr* |
1.826 |
1.724 |
1.641 |
Ser |
1.736 |
1.430 |
1.398 |
Glu |
6.646 |
6.442 |
6.278 |
Pro |
3.005 |
1.665 |
1.751 |
Gly |
1.803 |
1.761 |
1.677 |
Ala |
1.904 |
1.499 |
1.502 |
Cys |
0.299 |
0.296 |
0.286 |
Val* |
1.904 |
1.759 |
1.616 |
Met* |
0.337 |
0.249 |
0.343 |
Ileu* |
1.439 |
1.486 |
1.333 |
Leu* |
2.530 |
2.164 |
2.036 |
Tyr |
0.733 |
0.899 |
0.894 |
Phe |
1.508 |
1.696 |
1.627 |
Lys* |
1.142 |
1.088 |
0.960 |
His* |
1.080 |
0.843 |
0.679 |
Arg* |
6.662 |
4.980 |
4.796 |
*Essential amino acids. |
zAmino acid grams in 100 grams of sample. |
