Vitamin E profile of three varieties of Cucumis melo L.: pulp and by-products

The development of new food products based on the use of fruit by-products is a relevant topic nowadays. Indeed, it is a sustainable solution for the reduction of food losses and waste, as well as for the environmental impact. Cucumis melo L. is a very popular fruit worldwide, due to its excellent sensory and nutritional qualities. On the other hand, it contains a large amount of seeds and peel (by-products) that, until now, have been discarded. These by-products are a rich source of compounds with high antioxidant activity and beneficial properties for human health, such as vitamin E [1]. The aim of this study was to determine the vitamin E profile of pulp and by-products (peel and seeds) of three different Cucumis melo L. varieties (Grand Prix, Soleares and Waikiki). In addition, the vitamin E profile was compared for the Soleares variety at two different seasons (Soleares-I, winter and Soleares-P, spring). The Cucumis melo L. fruits were collected from major supermarket chains in the Lisbon region (Portugal). Vitamin E profile was analysed by HPLC-DAD-FLD, according to the method described by Alves et al. [2]. The results show that γ-tocopherol and α-tocopherol are the main vitamers present in Cucumis melo L. by-products (seeds and peels). The total vitamin E content varied between 6.69 mg/100 g (Grand Prix) and 19.1 mg/100 g (Soleares-P) for Cucumis melo L. seeds and between 3.57 mg/100 g dry weight (Soleares-P) and 25.0 mg/100 g dry weight (Grand Prix) for the peel. For Cucumis melo L. pulp, the levels of vitamin E ranged between 0.78 mg/100 g dry weight (Waikiki) and 1.11 mg/100 g dry weight (Grand Prix). In summary, Cucumis melo L. by-products can be used to enrich and create novel foods, improving their nutritional value and enhance their health promoting properties. It was shown that the contents of vitamin E can contribute for this possible valorization. This work was funded by INSA, I.P., under the project MELON4FOOD (2018DAN1492) and by European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE), under the Partnership Agreement PT2020, and National Funds (FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology) and through project UIDB/50006/2020. Rita C. Alves thanks to FCT the CEECIND/01120/2017 contract. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion