Proximate Composition, Mineral Content and Oil Quality of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Seeds

Eleven varieties of Kalingada exhibited significant variation in proximate composition viz., crude protein (19.04 to 25.16%), crude fat (24.19 to 29.87%), crude fiber (19.78 to 30.78%), carbohydrates (18.19 to 24.61%) and ash content (2.97 to 3.94%). The significantly higher crude protein (25.16%), crude fat (29.87%), crude fiber (30.86%) carbohydrate (24.61%) and ash (3.94%) content were recorded in the seeds of SKNK-1101, SKNK-110, CAZJK-14-2, SKNK-1301, and SKNK-1302 varieties respectively. The iron content of Kalingada seed recorded ranged from 12.9 to 33.3 mg/100g with maximum iron content of 33.3 mg/100g in CAZJK-14-1. The calcium content ranged between 8.67 to 21.60 mg/100g with maximum calcium content of 21.6 mg/100g in SKNK-1302. The extracted oil when evaluated for quality parameters viz., iodine value, acid value and peroxidase values were comparable to groundnut, linseed and sunflower. The lowest acid value and peroxidase values was recorded in SKNK-1301 (2.04 mgKOH/g) and SKNK-1101(4.2 meq/Kg oil), where as the iodine value was higher in CAZJK14-2 (77.66 meq/g). It thus appears that watermelon seeds exhibit better nutritional composition both for human and livestock consumption and can be exploited in infant food formulation. The seed can also be a useful source of oil for both domestic and industrial uses. Thus, Kalingada seed can be a useful tool for economic development since wealth will actually be produced from waste.