Bioactive compounds from flesh and by-product of fresh-cut watermelon cultivars

Abstract

Watermelon rind offers quantitative interest as a natural source of citrulline, particularly Fashion, a dark-skinned, seedless cultivar. More research is required on the efficient extraction of citrulline from watermelon rind and its suitability as an additive to drinks, juices or others products to produce new functional food products with valid health claims.

Two weeks of watermelon juice supplementation improves nitric oxide bioavailability but not endurance exercise performance in humans

“…Although the watermelon juice concentrate administered in this study was not ergogenic for endurance exercise performance and evoked negative cardiovascular responses, it is known that the L-citrulline content of watermelon varies by the watermelon variety [46] and that the rind of a watermelon contains more L-citrulline than the flesh of the fruit [46,47]. Therefore, we acknowledge that it might have been possible to consume a lower volume of watermelon juice (with a corresponding reduction in sugar intake) to attain the same or a larger Lcitrulline dose to that administered in the current study if a different watermelon variety had been used or more of the rind was incorporated into the watermelon juice.…”

“…It is well documented that watermelon juice is rich in L-citrulline [28,30,34,46,47] and that orally ingested L-citrulline readily passes into the systemic circulation [48]. [29] (+2 fold) and Collins et al [30] (+10% with the lower dose; +25% with the higher dose) compared to the respective placebo/control conditions.…”

Preservation of Bioactive Compounds and Quality Parameters of Watermelon Juice Enriched with L-Citrulline through Short Thermal Treatment

“…As a result, the market acceptance of watermelon juice is increasing worldwide due to its sensorial and health properties. Watermelon is very rich in bioactive compounds such as lycopene and L-citrulline, which makes it an extremely attractive product for consumers, with excellent growth prospects in the juice market [1,2]. Lycopene is a carotenoid of great interest due to its antioxidant capacity and its role in the reduction of coronary heart disease and some types of cancers such as prostate and kidney cancer [3].…”

“…Watermelon pulp contains from 1.1 to 4.7 g of L-citrulline kg −1 of fresh weight [2]. These variations could be due to preharvest and postharvest factors, which can affect the final concentration in juices.…”

Chemical quality parameters and bioactive compound content of brazilian berries

“…Information on the quality attributes and functional properties of these small fruits can guide farmers to choose the cultivars (cvs) that could be planted, thereby enabling greater market visibility, thus adding value to the product. In addition to providing information to consumers and farmers, the characterization should also be taken into account when new breeding programs are designed (Mascarenhas et al, 2012), because genotype, cultivation system or environmental conditions could affect the metabolism and production of antioxidant compounds (Hassimotto et al, 2008;Tarazona-Díaz et al, 2011). Due to health concerns, nowadays consumers increasingly demand fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables (Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al, 2010), and it is well know that some bioactive constituents in natural plant products have the ability to protect from degenerative illnesses and the production of free radicals.…”