Cantaloupe
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
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 μg19% 2020 μg26 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 |
| |
| |
†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 2 "Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2010-12-09.
- 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.
- ↑ "Cantaloupe". Oxford English Dictionary. 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Bellis, Mary (June 30, 2017). "The History of Penicillin: Alexander Fleming, John Sheehan, Andrew J Moyer". ThoughtCo. ThoughtCo. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
External links
Media related to Cucumis melo cantaloupe group at Wikimedia Commons - Sorting Cucumis names– Multilingual multiscript plant name database