A study of seeds of musk melon (Cucumis melo L.): A lesser known source of edible oil

Abstract

The oil content and oil characteristics of seeds of 91 accessions of musk melon (Cucumis melo), including two allied species collected from different parts of the world, have been studied to assess their variability. Oil content (on a whole seed basis) ranged from 12.5 to 39.1% and iodine values from 106.0 to 124.1. Gas liquid chromatographic analysis showed that only linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids were present. Unsaturated fatty acids constituted 64.6–88.2% of the total fatty acids present. The proportion of kernel in the seeds of different accessions, varied from 25.0 to 74.1% and contributed significantly to the total oil content of the whole seed. A similar relationship existed in the case of the 100-seed weight.