EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL AND ANTI-NUTRITIONAL CONTENTS OF

WATER MELON (Citrullus lanatus) SEEDS.

INTRODUCTION/LITERATURE REVIEW

Watermelon (Citrus lanatus) is a member of cucurbitaceae family which is connected to

pumpkin and other crop plants that grows on vines on the ground (Rheka and Rose, 2016). It is

an annual herb with long stems creeping on the ground widely planted in every part of India and

in all tropics nations including Nigeria (Milala et al., 2018). Watermelon fruit which is one of the

favourite fruits in the world are normally oblong or ovoid in shape and has a smooth external

surface rind (Harith et al., 2018; Milala et al., 2018).

The fruits are widely consumed as snack without due regards to the seed which are

discarded (Duduyemi et al., 2013). It is largely comprises water, which is about 6% sugar and

92% water by weight (Harith, et al., 2018). Watermelon fruits have plentiful minerals and

vitamins contents especially potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C with

small quantities of vitamin B1, B2, B6, niacin and folate (Adejumo et al., 2018).

The seeds are normally extracted from the rind by manual maceration and washing of

decayed fruits in a basket and sundry to reduce its moisture content (Adejumo et al., 2015).

According to Adejumo et al., (2015), watermelon seed comprises 31.90% protein, 57.10% fat,

8.20% fibre, 6.20% ash, 4.40% carbohydrates, 130 mg calcium, 456 mg phosphorus, and 7.5mg

iron. There is a high production rate of watermelon but little information is published about the

advantages of its seeds and the seed has neglected which resulted in loss (Adejumo et al., 2015).

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 Pulps of numerous fruits, including watermelon are consumed daily in Nigeria without

consuming the seeds and rinds, but rind and seeds are always disposed as wastes with

unfavourable health and environmental implications (Egbuonu, 2015a). Since, there is increasing

cultivation and consumption rate of watermelon, and its seeds are discarded as waste, there is

need to find out the nutritional and antinutritional contents of watermelon seeds which could give

insight of its potential utilizations. Hence, this project is aimed at determining the nutritional and

antinutritional contents of watermelon seeds and its possible applications disclosed.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

To evaluate the nutritional and antinutritional contents of Citrullus lanatus seeds.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To evaluate the proximate constituent of watermelon seeds.

To evaluate the antinutrient content of watermelon seeds.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will make known the steps in determining the nutritional and antinutritional contents

of Citrullus lanatus seeds.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

This study will provide information on the nutritional and antinutritional applications of Citrullus

lanatus seeds.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be limited to determination of the nutritional and antinutritional values of

watermelon seeds.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials:

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Citrullus lanatus Seeds

All chemicals and reagents that will be used in the study, including those that will be used in the

preparation of reagents, will be of analytical grade and products of reputable companies.

Collection and Preparation of Samples: Watermelon fruits will be bought from Eke Market,

Afikpo Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It will be identified as watermelon by the Taxonomist of the

Polytechnic, in the Department of Science Laboratory Technology. The watermelon will be

thoroughly washed to remove sand particles, after which it will be sliced using a clean knife. The

seeds will be handpicked and the pulp washed off using clean water. The seeds will be spread on

a foil and sundried. The dried seeds will be milled into powder using milling machines. The

powdered sample will be covered in a labeled white nylon and kept in the desiccators ready for

analysis.

SAMPLE ANALYSIS

Determination of Nutrients: The nutritional contents will be determined on the samples in

triplicate according to the standard methods of AOAC (2005).

Determination of Antinutrients: The analysis for tannin, oxalate, alkaloid, saponin,

hemagglutinin and hydrogen cyanide contents of the sample will be done in triplicate using

AOAC (2005) methods.

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 References

Adejumo, B. A., Olorunsogo, S. T. and Njoku, C. B. (2015). Qualities of watermelon seed oil
extracted at different moisture content. International Journal of Advanced Engineering
Research and Technology, 3(3):97-100.

Duduyemi, O., Adebanjo, S. A. and Oluoti, K. (2013). Extraction and determination of

physicochemical properties of watermelon seed oil for relevant uses. International
Journal of Scientific and Technological Research, 2(8): 66-68.

Egbuonu, A. C. C. (2015a). Comparative assessment of some mineral, amino acid and vitamin
compositions of watermelon rind and seed. Asian Journal of Biochemistry, 10(5): 240-
236.

Harith, S. S., Mazlun, M. H., Mydin, M. M., Nawi, L. and Saat, R. (2018). Studies on
phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial properties of citrullus lanatus peels.
Malaysian Journal of Analytical Science, 22(1): 151-156.

Milala, M.A., Luther, A. and Burah, B. (2018). Nutritional comparison of processed and
unprocessed citrullus lanatus seeds for possible use in feed formulation. America Journal
of Food and Nutrition, 6(2): 33-36.

Rehka, G. and Rose, L. (2016). Proximate nutritional analysis of dried watermelon seed,
International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, 4(6):44-46.

AOAC (2005). Official Methods of Analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemistry (18 th
edition), Washington DC, USA, 211-216.