Ice-cold watermelon is less nutritious

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, June 07, 2009
Islamabad

Ice-cold watermelon may be refreshing but it can be less nutritious than watermelon stored at room temperature.

Watermelons stored at room temperature deliver more nutrients than refrigerated or freshly picked melons.

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oklahoma, USA, looked specifically at carotenoids antioxidants that can counter the damage caused by sun, chemicals and day-to-day living, BBC Radio reported.

Watermelon is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that makes watermelons and tomatoes red and may help prevent heart disease and some cancers. They tested several popular varieties of watermelon stored for 14 days at 70°F (21°C), 55°F (13°C) and 41°F (5°C). It was found that whole watermelons stored at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about room temperature in air-conditioned buildings, had substantially more nutrients.

Compared to freshly picked fruit, watermelon stored at 70°F gained up to 40 per cent more lycopene and 50 per cent to 139 per cent extra beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.

The usual shelf life for watermelons is 14 to 21 days at 13 degrees Celsius (55°F) after harvest. At refrigerated temperatures, like 41°F (5°C), watermelon starts to decay and develop lesions after a week.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=181782