Watermelon seed oil

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Male (top) and female (bottom) watermelon flowers in side view

Male watermelon flower

Female watermelon flower

Fruit

Seeds

Watermelon seed oil is extracted by pressing from the seeds of the Citrullus lanatus (watermelon). It is particularly common in West Africa, where it is also called ootanga oil. The common watermelon most likely originated almost 5,000 years ago in the Kalahari Desert of Africa where botanists have found its wild ancestors, known as the Kalahari Melon, still growing. Watermelons migrated north through Egypt, and during the Roman era they were cultivated and prized.^[1] Traditionally, the seeds are extracted from the seed casing, and dried in the sun. Once dried, the seeds are pressed to extract the oil.

Chemical composition[]

Watermelon seed oil contains high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids with linoleic and oleic acids as the major acids.^[2]

Fatty acid composition of Watermelon seed oil^[3]

Specifications of watermelon seed oil^[4]

See also[]

• List of melon dishes and foods

References[]