Profiling of phenolic and other polar constituents from hydro-methanolic extract of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) by means of accurate-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS)

Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (formerly Citrullus vulgaris), is a natural and rich source of the phytochemical compounds. In this regard, the use of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) has shown to be a powerful technique for the characterization of phenolic and other polar compounds from a hydro-methanolic extract of watermelon. Thus, in the present work, 71 polar compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, iridoids, coumarins, lignan, and other phenolic derivatives have been detected and characterized by using MS and MS/MS data provided by the QTOF-MS, in addition to using the relevant literature on the same botanical family. Watermelon flesh was found to contain an array of diverse phytochemical components. These results indicate that watermelon offers a good source of natural phyto-components.

► Watermelon is an important fruit due to its nutritional and beneficial properties. ► The polar fraction of watermelon proved to be rich in bioactive phenolics. ► A total of 71 phenolic and other polar compounds have been tentatively characterized. ► This paper presents a first extensive profiling for watermelon phytochemicals.