Melon Cucumis melo

The species Cucumis melo comprises a great number of varieties that exhibit considerable diversity in their biological characteristics [65]. The dessert melons of commercial importance exhibit a wide variation in flavour and aroma profiles [66]. 

Charentais cantaloupe melon Cucumismelo L. var. cantalupensis Naud.) was characterised by abundant sweetness and a good aromatic flavour [68]. The aroma volatiles of Charentais-type cantaloupe melons, as with other cantaloupes, comprise a complex mixture of compounds including esters, saturated and unsaturated aldehydes and alcohols, as well as sulfur compounds [26, 65]. Among these compounds, volatile esters were quantitatively the most important and therefore represent key contributors to the aroma [68]. The linear saturated and unsaturated aldehydes seem to originate from the degradation of linolenic and linoleic acids [26, 32, 33, 67]. 

The aroma volatiles of some melon species consist of a complex mixture of esters together with other components, including C9 unsaturated aldehydes, alcohols, and acetates whose sensory properties have been described as melonlike [10,31-33,35]. Several esters and alcohols were described among the volatiles of muskmelons [33, 34]. 

Melons stored at low temperatures showed different relative amounts of volatiles recovered by solvent extraction [34]. Some of the C9 unsaturated esters and alcohols presumably originated as a result of lipoxygenase activity. The previous results together with some investigations of the C9 unsaturated esters and alcohols suggested that the activity of lipoxygenase on melons seems to be dependent on cultivar, age, storage conditions, and sample location [65]. 

More recently, static headspace GC analysis of eight cultivars of melons detected esters as the major volatile components. Differences among the compositions of the volatiles of the cultivars studied were also reported and are probably due to different efficiencies of biosynthetic pathways of each variety [56]. 

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Fruits have received extensive study one example is that of the passion fruit volatiles. Another fruit in which sulfur volatiles play an aroma role is musk-melon (Cucumis melo cv. Makdimon). A musky overtone is provided by 3-(methylthio)propanal ( stale ) and 5 -(methylthio)-butanoate ( pine, earthy )... 

Cucurbitacin is a bitter-tasting principle that can be isolated from members of the family Cucurbitaceae, such as cucumber Cucumis sativus) and melon (Cucumis melo L.). In particular, cucurbitacin149 and momordicine,150 which have an intensely bitter taste, are contained abundantly in Momordica charantia (bitter melon in English, go-yaa in Okinawa, Japan), which people enjoy due to its bitterness. There are more than 18 kinds of cucurbitacin, and among them cucurbitacin B is a typical component. It has been reported that cucurbitacin exhibits anticancer activity.1 1 In addition, it is used for the treatment of hepatic disease in traditional Chinese medicine. It is also found in some herbal teas. 

Linoleic acid (18 2n-6) is an essential fatty acid that must be obtained through diets. In this section, fruit, spice, and herb seed oils rich in linoleic acids are summarized. These seed oils include watermelon, melon Cucumis melo and Colocynthis citrullus), goldenberry, grape, rose fruit, paprika, red pepper, onion, black cumin, and Onagraceae seed oils. Several seed oils may be listed in other sections if they contain significant level of a special fatty acid. For example, pumpkin seed oils rich in both oleic acid and linoleic acid, are listed under the section named, Edible seed oils rich in oleic acid (18 ln-9). ... 

Melon, Cucumis melo, is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and grows best in tropical regions. The pulp of the fruit has pleasant flavor and taste, and the seeds are generally treated as waste however, medicinal effects have been reported for the seeds (24, 25). Hexane-extracted seed oil of Cucumis melo hybrid AF-522 was determined to contain 64 g of linoleic acid per 100 g of total fatty acids (Table 4) (24). Significant amounts of oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids were also detected in the melon seed oil. The specific gravity (28°C), refractive index (28°C), and iodine value of the seed oil were 0.9000, 1.4820, and 112, respectively, under the experimental conditions (24). Earlier in 1986, Lazos (25) extracted the oil from Cucumis melo seeds and examined its physicochemical properties (25). Linoleic acid was the primary fatty acid and accounted for 64.6% of the total fat (w/w), along with 20.1% oleic acid, and 14.7% total saturated fatty acids (Table 4). Iodine value and refractive index (40°) of the seed oil were 124.5 and 1.4662, respectively. 

Fatty Acid Watermelon Melon cucumis melo) Melon Colocynthis citrullus Goldenberry Grape Rose Paprika >... 

Watermelon, Melon (Cucumis melo), Melon Colocynthis citnjilus L.), Goldenberry, Grape, Rose, and Paprika stand for Watermelon, Melon (Cucumis melo), Melon (Colocynthis citmllus L.), goldenberry, grape, rose, and paprika seed oil, respectively. Numbers correspond to the references cited, nd stands for not detected. 

Melon (Cucumis melo, Cucurhitaceae), Muskmelon, Sugarmelon Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, Cucurhitaceae)... 

The strongest evidence to support the association between the production of a trichothecene by a plant pathogen and the resulting death of the host is work carried out with Myrothecium roridum (31, 32, 33). This pathogen attacks musk-melon (Cucumis melo L.) and while it attacks mainly the fruit, with concomitant losses of up to 30%, all parts of the plant... 

Fig. 5. Eight highly conserved regions of the primary structure of ACC synthase. Identical amino residue relative to the sequence of CM-ACSl (from Cucurbita maxima) is shown by dot. Eleven resuidues shown to be invariant among ACC synthase and aminotransferase are marked with X. The lysine residue (Box 6) which interacts with pyridoxalphosphate and with AdoMet is marked with. However, tyrosine residue in Box 5 are replaced by phenylalanine in AVO-ACSl (from avocado) and DC-ACSl (from carnation). The numbers between the adjacent boxes show number of residues present. AVO, avocado (Persea americana Mill) MELW, melon (Cucumis melo L.) GAC, geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum). For other abbreviation of source plants, see Table 1.

Yermiyahu, U., Nir, S., Ben-Hayyim, G., Kafkafi, U., 1994. Quantitative competition of calcium with sodium or magnesium for sorption sites on plasma membrane vesicles of melon (Cucumis melo L.) root cells. J. Membrane Biol. 138, 55-63. 

Monties, B., M.-L. Bouillant et J. Chopin C-Diholosylflavones dans les feuilles du melon (Cucumis melo). Phytochemistry 15, 1053—1056 (1976). 

Marrow, pumpkin, squash, courgette (zucchini) are all Cucurbita species and members of the Cucurbitaceae, as are melons (Cucumis melo). Squashes were very important to early inhabitants of Southern and Central America, as important as corn and beans. Fossilized remains of squashes in Peru have been dated to 4000 bc. Originally the flowers, seeds and flesh were eaten. The seeds provided a source of sulphur-containing amino acids. Wild members of the family are thin-skinned and bitter. There are few data available on the phytochemical content of the flesh of squashes. Butternut squash has been found... 

Melons Cucumis melo) are relatives of cucumbers. The first melons were bitter, but they were bred to produce sweeter fruit and introduced into Europe from Africa by the Moors. They reached France in the fifteenth century and were taken to the New World by Columbus. Melons and cantaloupes contain high levels of carotenes. Watermelons Citrullus lanatus) are distant relatives of melons, widely spread throughout Africa. They were known to the Egyptians and wild watermelons grow in the Kalahari Desert. Watermelons were introduced to Europe in the fifteenth century. Watermelon can contain high levels of carotenes, particularly lycopene 23-72 mg/1 have been reported (van den Berg et al. 2000). 

Campanella, B. Paul, R. (2000). Presence, in the rhizosphere and leaf extracts of zucchini Cucurbita pepo L.) and melon (Cucumis melo L.), of molecules capable of increasing the apparent aqueous solubility of hydrophobic pollutants. Int J Phytoremed, 2, 145-158. 

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