Variation in solids of the juice from different regions in melon fruits

Abstract does not appear. First page follows.

The importance of quality in melons (Cucumis melo L.) has prompted research to compare existing varieties in attempts to improve their flavor and palatability through selection and breeding; and incidental to this is the need for a basis upon which to formulate a state standard to regulate or prevent the shipment of melons low in soluble solids. These considerations make it desirable to have adequate methods for obtaining and analyzing samples, and to have a clear conception of the possible variability in different regions of the cantaloupe fruit. This paper presents data on the variability of solids in melons and discusses methods of testing and sampling.

Palatability of melons has usually been associated with sugar content and other water-soluble solids. The soluble solids consist largely of sugars together with minor amounts of dissolved compounds of nitrogen, minerals, and other constituents. It is generally accepted that there is a correlation between sugar content and palatability or quality of melons ⁽³⁾4; this seems true even though the flavor factor has not been measured. As a cantaloupe ripens there is an increase in total solids, and a decrease in reducing sugars, as well as a softening of the flesh and a development of color ⁽⁹⁾.

Review of Literature

Chace, Church, and Denny ⁽³⁾ were among the first to make use of the immersion refractometer in determining the relative concentrations of cantaloupe juice. Their samples consisted of the juice from the entire edible flesh and they were able to show a positive correlation between the density of the juice, or percentage of sucrose, and the eating quality of melons. The density of the juice was determined at different stages of maturity. A few years later Rosa ⁽⁹⁾ reported a study upon the effect of stage of maturity on the composition of melons. Longitudinal segments were preserved in alcohol for chemical analysis.