Provitamin A and vitamin C contents in selected California-grown cantaloupe and honeydew melons and imported melons

Vitamins are essential for human health and are mainly obtained from dietary sources. Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are abundant in provitamin A and vitamin C. California is one of the leading producers of cantaloupe and honeydew melons in the United States. Because melon is a warm-season crop, cantaloupe and honeydew melons are also imported to the United States from other countries to ensure year-around consumption. Nutrient content often varies among different melon varieties as well as among melons grown and harvested from different locations. To provide detailed nutrient information on domestic and imported melons, provitamin A and vitamin C contents of six California-grown and four imported melon varieties were determined by HPLC analysis and compared to the nutrient data published in the USDA nutrient database. Overall, California-grown and imported melons analyzed in the current work have higher vitamin A activity than values reported in the USDA database. Differential accumulation of provitamin A and vitamin C was observed among California-grown and imported melons. In addition, cantaloupe melons accumulate up to 60-fold more β-carotene than honeydew melons.