From seed to flour: Sowing sustainability in the use of cantaloupe melon residue (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus)

Abstract

Reduction of waste from food industry and food services is a current concern due to the large amount of waste generated, including peels and fruit seeds. The objective of this study was to obtain a flour produced from Cantaloupe melon seeds (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus) and to evaluate the viability of using the product as an ingredient in cake manufacturing. In this study, different formulations were developed: standard cake-0% (F1) and cakes containing melon seed flour as substitute of wheat flour in 10% (F2), 30% (F3), and 50% (F4) concentrations. Centesimal composition, dietary fibre, structural and morphological characterization, determination of mineral composition, and evaluation of fatty acids profile in melon seed flour were carried out. To determine the overall acceptance of cake formulations, sensory analysis was performed with 135 non-trained panelists, which also included the identification of sensorial attributes using the Just About Right ideal scale test. The results showed that the melon seed flour has considerable nutritional value, with 18% proteins, 3% moisture, 4% ash, 30% lipids, and 35% dietary fibre. Melon flour also has a significantly high content of minerals, mainly phosphorus (1507.62 mg/100 g), potassium (957.35 mg/100 g), and magnesium (504.03 mg/100 g). The polyunsaturated fatty acid fraction was the most abundant in melon seed flour, with predominance of omega-6 fatty acids (17.95 g/ mg of sample). Sensorial analysis disclosed good acceptance for formulations containing 10% and 30% of melon seed flour, with the 10% formulation being the most accepted. The research showed the feasibility of using the melon seed flour in cake production, as well as the possibility of using food waste in restaurants and food industries in order to adhere to sustainable production actions.

Production of Chicken Patties Supplemented with Cantaloupe By-Products: Impact on the Quality, Storage Stability, and Antioxidant Activity

“…Results cleared that the oil retention capacity of peel powder is similar to that of seeds powder. These results are in line with those reported by da Cunha et al [ 52 ]. Currently, the property of fat retention capacity was exploited in foods, especially meat products, which are lost during the cooking process, and this is likely to be useful to improve flavor and yield [ 54 ].…”

“…Furthermore, fiber content was significantly ( p < 0.05) increased by increasing the addition ratio of CP and CS in raw and cooked samples at zero time and after frozen storage (3 months at -20°C). These results are in agreement with Mallek-Ayadi et al [ 1 ] and da Cunha et al [ 52 ], who reported that the cantaloupe peel and seeds flour were a good source of dietary fiber.…”

“…These results are in agreement with those found by Mallek-Ayadi et al [ 1 ], the moisture, crude protein, ash, crude fiber, fat, and total carbohydrate in cantaloupe peel were 16.95%, 7.48%, 2.93%, 3.67%, 41.69%, 2.12%, and 69.77%, respectively. Also, da Cunha et al [ 52 ] found that the cantaloupe seeds flour contains 2.64% moisture, 17.64% crude protein, 4.12% ash, 35.48% total dietary fiber, and 30.43% fat. Also, results revealed that CP had the highest content in some minerals such as calcium (1000 mg/100 g) and potassium (940 mg/100 g).…”

“…Generally, frozen storage did not affect the fat content except in the sample containing 12% CS. This may be the result of cantaloupe seeds powder which are rich in lipids [ 52 ].…”

Flour made from fruit by‐products: Characteristics, processing conditions, and applications

“…15.6% proteins and 10.2% fat in avocado seed powder (Ejiofor et al, 2018); 8% protein and 10.2% fat in mango kernel flour (Chandras Das et al, 2019); 28.6% protein and 29.7% fat in papaya seed flour (Santos et al, 2014); and 17.6% protein and 30.4% lipid in melon seed flour (Da Cunha et al, 2020). Thus, it may be concluded that seed is a rich source of protein and fat; their contents differ in flours, depending on the moisture content of the flour of the cultivar under analysis.…”