Melon seeds oil, fruit seeds oil and vegetable oils: a comparison study

Introduction: The production of food by-products is a major problem nowadays, and their valorization as food ingredients for the development and formulation of new food products has increased. Every year’s tons of melon (Cucumis melo L.) seeds are discarded. This by-product is a good source of oil and has an interesting fatty acids profile (1-3). Due to their low content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids this oil is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (4). Materials and Methods: This review focuses on the comparison among the composition of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids of melon seeds oil and the vegetable oils more consumed (palm, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower and olive), as well as with oils extracted from other fruit seeds (mango, apricot kernel, paprika, blackcurrant, watermelon, pumpkin, cranberry and grape). Results: The fatty acid profile of melon seeds oil is very similar to soybean and sunflower oils, two of the most commonly used vegetable oils. It is also very analogous to grape seeds oil and paprika seeds oil, although grape seeds oil has a lower content of SFA. Melon seeds oil has a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, being linoleic acid the main fatty acid, whose level may reach 52 - 69 %. The oleic (12 – 32 %), palmitic (9 – 24 %), and stearic (5 – 9%) acids are also present in significant amounts. The content of linoleic acid in melon seeds oil is very similar to blackcurrant and watermelon seeds oils. Discussion and Conclusions: The similarity of melon seeds oil with some of the most widely used vegetable oils, such as soybean and sunflower oils, has improved the interest in it valorization. Although this oil is not common in the food industry, its quality is enough to attain the market. Furthermore, since melon seeds are discarded, their use for oil production can answer to circular economy, without residues and environmental impact.This work was funded by INSA, I.P., under the project MELON4FOOD (2018DAN1492) and by European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE), under the Partnership Agreement PT2020, and National Funds (FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology) through project LAQV/UID/QUI/50006/2013 and NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000069 – Food Science. T.G. Albuquerque is grateful for PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) funded by FCT, FSE and MEC.