Watermelon Seed Extract

• Product Detail

Product name	Watermelon Seeds Extract
Latin Name	Citrullus lanatus
Active ingredients	Protein
synonyms	Citrullus seeds
Appearance	Light Yellow fine powder
Part used	Seed
Specification	Protein 50%/10:1TLC
Dosage
Main benefits	cardiovascular diseases, clearing lung and eliminating phlegm
Applied industries	Medicine, food additive, dietary supplement, sports nutrition

What is Watermelon Seeds Extract?

In Western culture, the watermelon is a fruit with widespread appeal. As with most fruits, its seeds are almost always discarded and not eaten, but they can be consumed, and in other parts of the world, their consumption is more common. In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, watermelon seeds are collected and roasted so they can be served as a snack. In Nigeria, watermelon seeds are used in certain soups. Watermelon seeds have their own nutritional makeup, including proteins, fats, iron and other nutrients. Watermelon seeds are also a source of calories.

Natural nutrients

Calories

In 1 cup (108 g) of watermelon seeds, there are about 602 calories. Contrasted with 1 cup of cooked brown rice, which contains only 216 calories, watermelon seeds are relatively high in the number of calories per gram or per cup.

Fat

Of the 602 calories in 1 cup of watermelon seeds, 428 calories come from fat, whereas in the same volume of rice, only 15 of 216 calories come from fat. Watermelon seeds are composed of about 50 percent oil, which helps to explain its relatively high fat content--51 g of fat per 108 g of watermelon seeds, or 79 percent of the recommended daily value. There are 11 g of saturated fat in the 51 g of fat and no trans fats.

Protein

Watermelon seeds are composed of about 35 percent protein and are a good source of protein on a per-gram basis. In 1 cup of watermelon seeds, there are 31 g of protein. The protein in watermelon seeds is of reasonably high quality; of the nine essential amino acids, watermelon seed protein ranks highly in all but one, lysine.

Other Nutrients

Watermelon seeds are a good source of several vitamins and minerals. Per 1 cup, watermelon seeds contain a significant amount of the following vitamins: Thiamin (14 percent of recommended daily value), riboflavin (9 percent), niacin (19 percent) and folate (16 percent). Regarding minerals, watermelon seeds provide calcium (6 percent), iron (44 percent), magnesium (139 percent), phosphorus (82 percent), potassium (20 percent), zinc (74 percent), copper (37 percent) and manganese (87 percent).

Chemical constituents of Watermelon Seeds Extract 

Watermelon seed extract contains fatty oil, protein, vitamin B2, pentosan, starch, crude fiber, alpha amino - beta - (pyrazole - N) propionic acid. And urease, alpha galactose glucoside enzyme, beta galactose glucoside enzyme and invertase. Also contain Cucurbocitrin saponins, have antihypertensive effect, and can alleviate symptoms of acute bang bladder inflammation.

Benefits of taking Watermelon Seeds Extract supplements:

Watermelon Seeds and Anti-hyperglycaemic

>Anti-hyperglycaemic globulins from selected Cucurbitaceae seeds used as antidiabetic medicinal plants in Africa.

 (Source-Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Phytobiochemistry and Medicinal Plants Studies, University of Yaoundé I, PO Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.)

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The recent epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Africa, coupled with rampant poverty, is an indication of the urgent need to develop new efficacious, cheaper and more available drugs to face this growing public health challenge. A number of plants products among which the protein-rich Cucurbitaceae seeds are commonly used in traditional medicine with increasing acclaimed efficacy against DM. The aim of this study was to analyse and evaluate the hypoglycaemic activity of storage proteins of five species of Cucurbitaceae, which include Telfairia occidentalis, Citrullus lanatus, Lagenaria siceraria, Cucumeropsis mannii and Cucurbita moschata.

METHODS:

The different families of storage proteins were extracted following differential solubility, and their contents were estimated using the Bradford method. The analysis of these proteins was done by electrophoresis in non-denaturing and denaturing conditions. The evaluation of hypoglycaemic properties of various globulins extracted was performed on male Wistar rats by the oral glucose tolerance test.

RESULTS:

The results showed that among the proteins extracted, globulins constitute the most abundant class of storage proteins in all five species selected. Citrullus lanatus and Cucurbita moschata presented the highest levels of globulin (275.34 and 295.11 mg/g dry matter, respectively). The results of electrophoresis showed that all species possess acidic and neutrals albumins and globulins, with molecular weight of protein subunits ranging from 6.36-44.11 kDa for albumins, 6.5-173.86 kDa for globulins and 6.5-49.66 kDa for glutelins. The 6.36 kDa of albumin subunit protein and the 6.5 kDa of globulin subunit protein were present in all the species. The oral glucose tolerance test showed that the globulins of the seeds of all species except Cucumeropsis mannii caused significant drop in blood sugar (88 - 137.80%, compared to the controls, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings showed that the selected Cucurbitaceae seeds contained globulins with significant anti-hyperglycaemic activity. It is therefore highly encouraged to pursue investigations towards development of peptide-drugs and/or phytomedicines from these bioactive proteins which could be used as affordable alternative therapy against DM.

Other study

>Purification and partial characterization of low molecular weight vicilin-like glycoprotein from the seeds of Citrullus lanatus.

(Source-Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.)

Abstract

The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seeds are highly nutritive and contain large amount of proteins and many beneficial minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorous, zinc etc. In various parts of the world, C. lanatus seed extracts are used to cure cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and blood pressure. C. lanatus seed extracts are also used as home remedy for edema and urinary tract problems. In this study, we isolated protein fraction of C. lanatus seeds using various protein separation methods. We successfully purified a low molecular weight vicilin-like glycoprotein using chromatographic methods followed by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF/MS identification. This is the first report of purification of a vicilin like polypeptide from C. lanatus seeds. In next step, we extracted mRNA from immature seeds and reverse transcribed it using suitable forward and reverse primers for purified glycoprotein. The PCR product was analysed on 1% agarose gel and was subsequently sequenced by Dideoxy DNA sequencing method. An amino acid translation of the gene is in agreement with amino acid sequences of the identified peptides.

Other use

> Hypertension

> cure cancer

> cardiovascular diseases

> blood pressure.

>clearing lung and eliminating phlegm

> can alleviate symptoms of acute bang bladder inflammation.

Side effects and safety of Watermelon Seeds Extract 

No serious risks have been linked with the use of Coriolus versicolor or products derived from Watermelon Seeds.