Il melone (Cucumis melo L.) è una pianta rampicante ed appartiene alla famiglia delle nosaceae.

Alcune varietà: NewQueen, Cantalupo, Baggio, Giusto, Casaba, Galia, Retato, Canary, NewQueen, Honeydew, Santa Claus, Korean, Valencia, Jade Dew, Sprite, Sharlin, Crenshaw, Autumn sweet , Snow leopard, Charentais, Hami, Honey globe, Sugar, Charentias, Hani Gold, Goddess, Huell.

Nel suo contenuto visono composti antiossidanti come composti fenolici e flavonoidi (1) : 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, isovanillic acid, apigenin-7-α-glucoside, luteolin-7-o-glucoside, and quercetin-3-galactoside.

E' inoltre una ottima fonte di vitamina A e C, nonchè di minerali come potassio e magnesio (2).

Sono presenti anche tannini in buona quantità, ma nella pelle. I tannini sono considerati antiossidanti, antimicrobici (3).

Melone studi

Bibliografia___________________________________________

(1) Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts of 12 Melon (Cucumis melo) Peel Powders Prepared from Commercial Melons.  Ganji SM, Singh H, Friedman M.  J Food Sci. 2019 Jul;84(7):1943-1948. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.14666.

(2) Analytical traceability of melon (Cucumis melo var reticulatus): proximate composition, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity in relation to cultivar, plant physiology state, and seasonal variability.  Maietti A, Tedeschi P, Stagno C, Bordiga M, Travaglia F, Locatelli M, Arlorio M, Brandolini V.  J Food Sci. 2012 Jun;77(6):C646-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02712.x.

(3) Characterization of Polyphenolic Compounds in Cantaloupe Melon By-Products.  Vella FM, Cautela D, Laratta B.  Foods. 2019 Jun 6;8(6). pii: E196. doi: 10.3390/foods8060196.

Protective Effects of Melon Extracts on Bone Strength, Mineralization, and Metabolism in Rats with Ovariectomy-Induced Osteoporosis.
Kim B, Lee SH, Song SJ, Kim WH, Song ES, Lee JC, Lee SJ, Han DW, Lee JH.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Aug 14;8(8). pii: E306. doi: 10.3390/antiox8080306.

A complex interaction between pre-harvest and post-harvest factors determines fresh-cut melon quality and aroma.
Spadafora ND, Cocetta G, Cavaiuolo M, Bulgari R, Dhorajiwala R, Ferrante A, Spinardi A, Rogers HJ, Müller CT.
Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 26;9(1):2745. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39196-0.

Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Oriental Melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa).
Tuan PA, Lee J, Park CH, Kim JK, Noh YH, Kim YB, Kim H, Park SU.
Foods. 2019 Feb 19;8(2). pii: E77. doi: 10.3390/foods8020077

Viability of Lactobacillus plantarum on Fresh-Cut Chitosan and Alginate-Coated Apple and Melon Pieces.
Speranza B, Campaniello D, Bevilacqua A, Altieri C, Sinigaglia M, Corbo MR.
Front Microbiol. 2018 Oct 23;9:2538. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02538

Production of Low-Potassium Content Melon Through Hydroponic Nutrient Management Using Perlite Substrate.
Asaduzzaman M, Talukder MR, Tanaka H, Ueno M, Kawaguchi M, Yano S, Ban T, Asao T.
Front Plant Sci. 2018 Sep 19;9:1382. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01382.

Catalytic and Structural Characterization of a Browning-Related Protein in Oriental Sweet Melon (Cucumis Melo var. Makuwa Makino).
Liu S, Murtaza A, Liu Y, Hu W, Xu X, Pan S.
Front Chem. 2018 Aug 23;6:354. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00354

Nanoencapsulation improved water solubility and color stability of carotenoids extracted from Cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L.).
Medeiros AKOC, Gomes CC, Amaral MLQA, Medeiros LDG, Medeiros I, Porto DL, Aragão CFS, Maciel BLL, Morais AHA, Passos TS.
Food Chem. 2019 Jan 1;270:562-572. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.07.099.

The effects of superoxide dismutase-rich melon pulp concentrate on inflammation, antioxidant status and growth performance of challenged post-weaning piglets.
Ahasan ASML, Invernizzi G, Farina G, Pilotto A, Barbé F, Bontempo V, Rossi R, Bellagamba F, Lecchi C, Savoini G, Agazzi A.
Animal. 2019 Jan;13(1):136-143. doi: 10.1017/S1751731118001234

Identification of Cooked Off-Flavor Components and Analysis of Their Formation Mechanisms in Melon Juice during Thermal Processing.
Luo D, Pang X, Xu X, Bi S, Zhang W, Wu J.
J Agric Food Chem. 2018 Jun 6;66(22):5612-5620. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b01019.

Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity from peels and seeds of melon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus) and their antiproliferative effect in cancer cells.
Rolim PM, Fidelis GP, Padilha CEA, Santos ES, Rocha HAO, Macedo GR.
Braz J Med Biol Res. 2018 Mar 1;51(4):e6069. doi: 10.1590/1414-431X20176069.

Differential metabolism of L-phenylalanine in the formation of aromatic volatiles in melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit.
Gonda I, Davidovich-Rikanati R, Bar E, Lev S, Jhirad P, Meshulam Y, Wissotsky G, Portnoy V, Burger J, Schaffer AA, Tadmor Y, Giovannoni JJ, Fei Z, Fait A, Katzir N, Lewinsohn E.
Phytochemistry. 2018 Apr;148:122-131. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2017.12.018.

Contenuti di carotenoidi nel cantalupo o melone arancione (1):

• Beta carotene : 87%
• Neoxantina e violaxantina : 9%
• Licopene : 3%
• Luteina : 1%
• Zeaxantina : 0%
• Criptoxantina : 0%
• Alfa carotene : 0%

In questo studio sui carotenoidi, una lista della frutta e verdura e le percentuali contenute (1).
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(1) Fruits and vegetables that are sources for lutein and zeaxanthin: the macular pigment in human eyes.
Olaf Sommerburg, Jan E E Keunen, Alan C Bird, Frederik J G M van Kuijk