Nutritional quality evaluation of non‐netted muskmelon fruit during its development and ripening

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the sweetness and antioxidant profile‐based nutritional quality of non‐netted orange fleshed muskmelon (cv Maduri) fruit during its development and ripening.

Design/methodology/approach

The important nutritional quality determining parameters like sugars, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolics and total antioxidant activity were quantitatively analyzed at five sequential stages of development and ripening of muskmelon. The activities of sugar metabolizing enzymes such as sucrose phosphate synthase and sucrose synthase were evaluated. Further, antioxidant enzymes like peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and superoxide dismutase which played a significant role in scavenging reactive oxygen species were also assayed.

Findings

The results of the present study demonstrated that the sugars got accumulated in high amount in the ripened muskmelon fruit, indicating it as a high sucrose accumulating genotype. However, sucrose phosphate synthase and sucrose synthase exhibited inconsistency in their activities. Phenolics also got accumulated initially with their maximum quantity in the pre‐ripened stage, but thereafter they decreased. Superoxide dismutase and polyphenol oxidase exhibited a progressive synergetic relationship of scavenging of reactive oxygen species with the development and ripening of fruit.

Originality/value

This study revealed that non‐netted muskmelon is a nutritionally rich fruit with significant accumulation of antioxidants and having an added potential source of sweetness.

Citation

Menon, S.V. and Ramana Rao, T.V. (2013), "Nutritional quality evaluation of non‐netted muskmelon fruit during its development and ripening", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 43 No. 4, pp. 398-406. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-09-2012-0096