Melon seeds

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Egusi melon (Colocynthis citrullus L.) is popular in Nigeria because of the edible seeds which have been used in preparation of local soup. It is one of the members of the family Cucuritaceae which has a bitter fruit pulp. A creeping annual herb, the egusi melon has hairy stems, forked tendrils and three-lobed hairy leaves; it has a very extensive and superficial root system. Unlike the common watermelon, whose flesh is sweet and red, the egusi melon's juicy flesh is pale yellow or green, it tastes bitter and is inedible figure1a. Melon seeds are basically small with oval shape figure 1b. The seed coat may be thin and thick or encrusted with flat or molded edge [1]. The origin of melon is Africa and Asia and it is widely cultivated in the Caribbean, Indonesia and Africa. Several varieties are grown in Nigeria and are locally referred to as thin skin, thick edge and the white big size varieties.
NAERLS [2] stated that melons thrive on a variety of soils; they do best on a sandy-loam naturally well drained soil. Acidic soils are not suitable to the production of melons. NAERLS [2], reports further that seeds are generally sown at the beginning of the rains (May/June) or towards the end of the raining season (August/September). Its main area of production in Nigeria is confined to the forest, derived and southern guinea savanna ecological zone of Nigeria. The seeds are sown 2 to 3 per hole with 2x2 meter spacing. Seedlings appear in 4 to 7 days and later thinned to one per hole. Melon fruit reach full maturity in about *****0 days from planting. It could be harvested when the fruits stalk attached to the vine (neck) is dry. The first unit operation in the traditional method is plucking and gathering of the fruits. Then the fruits are sliced into halves and heaped up to ferment. Thus allowing the pulp to rot or decay for a period of two to five days. After fermenting the seeds are scooped along with the rotten pulp (fruits). The scooped seeds poured into a perforated basket or bucket is then placed in a stream or any water reservoir, the content stirred and agitated with the hand. The pulp, which forms slurry, is separated from the seeds through the perforated sieve. Drying is done by spreading it outside under the sun on a drying mat/floor NAERLS [2]. The seeds could be shelled to obtain the final edible seeds. This could be done manually, by twisting the seeds between the fingers and thumbs of the two hands. Also shelling could be done by motorized melon shellers. In West Africa grinded egusi melon seeds are common component of daily meals. Egusi seed oil contains a high level of unsaturated fatty acids which has a wide use both for domestic and industrial purposes. Domestic use of egusi oil include soup cooking, frying etc, while industrially it can be used for production of soap, pomade, metal polish, lubricant adhesive, candles, feed for cattle such as poultry, pigs, sheep and goats