Nutritional Composition, Antinutritional Factors and Antioxidant Properties of Different Local Varieties of Watermelon Fruit from Around Koka, Ethiopia.
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Date
2016-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Watermelons belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. They have fruits like cantaloupe, pumpkin and similar to plants that grow on vines and on the ground. Four varieties are commercially grown around Koka in Ethiopia. Fruit with good antioxidant properties used to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However there is knowledge gap in antioxidant activity of fruits and vegetables in our context. Four varieties of watermelon grown in Koka, Ethiopia were studied for their proximate composition, mineral content, beta carotene contents, antinutritional factors, antioxidant activity (AA) and total phenolic content (TPC). Beta carotene, TPC and AA were determined using HPLC, FCR assay and DPPH assay respectively. Results found for proximate composition of varieties watermelon flesh and seed part ranged as follows: Protein; 0.397 – 0.657% (flesh) and 19.87 – 24.60% (seed), Fat; 0.074 – 0.105% (flesh) and 23.35 – 25.25% (seed), Ash; 1.72 – 1.989% (flesh) and 2.4 – 2.6% (seed), Fiber; 0.127 – 0.213 (flesh) and 28.66 – 34.35% (seed), Moisture; 91 – 95% (flesh) and 2.7 – 4.55% (seed), Carbohydrate; 2.122 – 0.016% (flesh) and 10.66 – 20.3% (seed), Kcal; 11.715 – 28.633% (flesh) and 360.55 – 375.21% (seed). The mineral content ofcitrullus lanatus fruit, for Fe ranged between 0.8 - 3.143 and 2.454 – 4.919 mg/100gm (in flesh & seed), for Zn 0.057 – 0.144 and 3.223 – 4.476 mg/100gm (in flesh & seed), for Ca 5.625 – 7.771 and 11.922 – 33.326 mg/100gm (in flesh and seed), for P 10.826 – 19.037 and 375.90 – 476.96 mg/100gm (in flesh & seed), for Na 6.15 – 11.58 and 3.87 – 11.96 mg/100gm (in flesh & seed) and for K 96.55 – 111.01 and 708.66 – 1036.68 mg/100gm (in flesh & seed) was found. Antinutritional content of flesh and seed part of watermelon fruit was; phytic acid ranged from 0.111 – 0.171 mg/100gm (flesh) and 1.481 – 1.808 mg/100gm (seed), tannin content ranged from 0.012 – 0.019 mg/100gm (flesh) and 0.025 – 0.049 mg/100gm (seed) and oxalate ranged from 0.028 – 0.032 mg/100gm (flesh) and 0.048 – 0.06 mg/100gm (seed). Beta carotene content of Citrullus lanatus flesh ranged from 0.0013 – 0.3879 mg/100g. AA of flesh and seed part of watermelon ranged 21.01 – 64.93 and 88.81 – 94.13 respectively. Only seed part of TPC was reported, it ranged between 29.21 – 57.1 mg GAE/g. Findings showed that there is significance difference in some flesh and seed part of watermelon fruit in sample varieties.
Key Words: Watermelon flesh; watermelon seed; beta carotene; antioxidant activity
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Keywords
: Watermelon flesh; watermelon seed; beta carotene; antioxidant activity