Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucumis
Species: C. melo
Subspecies: C. melo subsp. melo
Variety: C. melo var. cantalupo
Trinomial name
Cucumis melo var. cantalupo[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naudin
  • Cucumis melo var. reticulatus Naudin

Cantaloupe (muskmelon, mushmelon, rockmelon, sweet melon) or spanspek (South Africa) is a variety of the Cucumis melo species in the Cucurbitaceae family.

Cantaloupes range in weight from 0.5 to 5 kilograms (1 to 11 lb). Originally, cantaloupe referred only to the non-netted, orange-fleshed melons of Europe, but may mean any orange-fleshed melon of C. melo.[2] China is the world's largest producer of cantaloupes, providing half of the global total in 2016.

Etymology and origin

The name cantaloupe is derived via French cantaloup from Italian Cantalupo, which was formerly a papal county seat near Rome, after the fruit's introduction there from Armenia.[3] It was first mentioned in English literature in 1739.[2]

The cantaloupe most likely originated in a region from South Asia to Africa.[2] It was later introduced to Europe and, around 1890, became a commercial crop in the United States.[2]

Types

Macro photograph of the skin of a North American cantaloupe (muskmelon)
Cantaloupe, raw
Cantaloupe in cross-section
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 141 kJ (34 kcal)
8.16 g
Sugars 7.86 g
Dietary fiber 0.9 g
0.19 g
0.84 g
Vitamins Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
21%
169 μg
19%
2020 μg
26 μg
Thiamine (B1)
4%
0.041 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
2%
0.019 mg
Niacin (B3)
5%
0.734 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
2%
0.105 mg
Vitamin B6
6%
0.072 mg
Folate (B9)
5%
21 μg
Choline
2%
7.6 mg
Vitamin C
44%
36.7 mg
Vitamin K
2%
2.5 μg
Minerals Quantity %DV†
Calcium
1%
9 mg
Iron
2%
0.21 mg
Magnesium
3%
12 mg
Manganese
2%
0.041 mg
Phosphorus
2%
15 mg
Potassium
6%
267 mg
Sodium
1%
16 mg
Zinc
2%
0.18 mg
Other constituents Quantity
Water 90.2 g
Full Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

The European cantaloupe, C. melo var cantalupensis, is lightly ribbed with a sweet and flavorful flesh and a gray-green skin that looks quite different from that of the North American cantaloupe.[2]

The North American cantaloupe, C. melo var reticulatus, common in the United States, Mexico, and some parts of Canada, is a different variety of Cucumis melo, a muskmelon that has a "net-like" (reticulated) skin covering.[2] It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately sweet flesh and a thin, reticulated, light-grey rind.[2] Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist, but are not common in the US commercially.

Production

In 2016, global production of melons, including cantaloupes, was 31.2 million tonnes, with China accounting for 51% of the world total (15.9 million tonnes).[4] Other significant countries growing cantaloupe were Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and India, with each producing 1 to 1.9 million tonnes.[4]

Consumption

Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a dessert with ice cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar antipasto. The seeds are edible and may be dried for use as a snack.

Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria—in particular, Salmonella[5]—it is recommended to wash and scrub a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. The fruit should be refrigerated after cutting it and consumed in less than three days to prevent risk of Salmonella or other bacterial pathogens.[6]

A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1943 was found to contain the highest yielding strain of mold for penicillin production, after a worldwide search.[7]

Nutrition

Raw cantaloupe is 90% water, 8% carbohydrates, 0.8% protein and 0.2% fat, providing 140 kJ (34 kcal) and 2020 μg of the provitamin A orange carotenoid, beta-carotene per 100 grams. Fresh cantaloupe is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value or DV) of vitamin C (44% DV) and vitamin A (21% DV), with other nutrients in negligible amounts (less than 10% DV) (table).

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Marion Eugene Ensminger; Audrey H. Ensminger (1993). Cantaloupe in Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. CRC Press. pp. 329–331. ISBN 084938981X.
  3. ↑ "Cantaloupe". Oxford English Dictionary. 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Production of melons, including cantaloupes for 2016 (Crops/world regions/production quantity from pick lists)". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics Division (FAOSTAT). 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Munnoch, S. A.; Ward, K.; Sheridan, S.; Fitzsimmons, G. J.; Shadbolt, C. T.; Piispanen, J. P.; Wang, Q.; Ward, T. J.; Worgan, T. L. M.; Oxenford, C.; Musto, J. A.; McAnulty, J.; Durrheim, D. N. (2009). "A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul in Australia associated with cantaloupe consumption". Epidemiology and Infection. 137 (3): 367–74. doi:10.1017/S0950268808000861. PMID 18559128.
  6. ↑ "Kentucky: Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Salmonella2012". Archived from the original on 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2012-08-18. In general, the FDA recommends thoroughly washing and scrubbing the rinds of all cantaloupes and melons prior to cutting and slicing, and to keep sliced melons refrigerated prior to eating.
  7. ↑ Bellis, Mary (June 30, 2017). "The History of Penicillin: Alexander Fleming, John Sheehan, Andrew J Moyer". ThoughtCo. ThoughtCo. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.