Protein and Amino Acid Composition of Water Melon (<em>Citrullus Lanatus</em>) Seeds

Abstract

The protein and amino acids composition of seeds and pulp of watermelon, Citrullus lanatus were analyzed using Kjeldahl method and ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) respectively. The protein contents (% dry matter) of seeds and pulp were found to be 24.23 and 1.05% respectively. The results of amino acids analyses indicated that glutamic and aspartic acid were the most abundant amino acids in the samples. The total essential amino acids (TEAA) in seeds and pulp were 40.82 and 23.42 g/100g protein respectively, while total nonessential amino acids (TNEAA) were (42.18 and 23.82 g/100g protein), total acidic amino acid(TAAA) were 22.08 and 11.42 g/100g protein and total basic amino acids (TBAA) were 18.28 and 8.58 g/100g protein respectively. These results show that the seeds have an attractive amino acids profile, indicating their potential for use as a future food supplements.

Keywords: Watermelon, seeds, amino acid, protein, food supplements