Watermelon Extract Powder: watermelon fruit

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum) is a vine-like fruit, native to South Africa.

Watermelon is an important source of L-citrulline, carotenoid, Vitamin C and other antioxidant-rich nutrients. Citrulline is an amino acid, which is important for the urea cycle in human body, to help stimulate excretion of harmful ammonia from the body.

Citrulline

Health Benefits:

1. Chronic Disease Prevention

With its hypoglycemic effect, studies show watermelon seeds, rind and pulp is beneficial in blood sugar control.

2. Weight Management

Research shows 4 weeks of fresh watermelon consumption significantly improve body weight and BMI value in overweight and obese individuals aged 18 and 55 years.

Table 1: The effect of snacks (watermelon versus low fat cookie) on body weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat of participants at baseline and week 4 for each intervention

3. Women Health

Regular consumption of watermelon is beneficial for reducing miscarriage and menstruation-related discomforts. This is because of its anti-contractile potential, which helps reduce womb motility.

4. Eye Health

Watermelon contains an unique source of cis-isomeric lycopene, the easily absorbable form. Studies show that regular lycopene supplementation is beneficial in reducing the risk of macular degeneration.

Usage:

Food and beverage as well as Health Supplement

Reference:

1. Jebir, RM & Mustafa, YF 2022, “Watermelon Allsweet: A Promising Natural Source of Bioactive Products”, Journal of Medicinal and Chemical Sciences, vol. 5, pp. 652 – 666

2. Lum et al. 2019, “Effects of Fresh Watermelon Consumption on theAcute Satiety Response and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults”, Nutrients, vol. 11 (595), pp. 1-13

3. Naz et al. 2014, “Watermelon Lycopene And Allied Health Claims”, Excli Journey, vol. 14, pp. 650 – 666