Physicochemical characterization of wander seed oil (Citrullus lanatus) and melon (Cucumis melo) considering three extraction methods

Introduction: Fruit processing industries discard by-products, which generate contamination, vegetable oil extracted from oilseeds is considered one of the primordial components of our food. Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and melon (Cucumis melo) seed oil considering three extraction methods. Materials and Methods: The raw material was obtained from the local market in the canton of Quevedo, Los Rios province (Ecuador). A completely randomized block design with AxB bifactorial model was used; where factor A= Types of seeds Watermelon and Melon, factor B= Method of extraction, Cold pressed, Solvent and Combined. Results: For the physical-chemical analyses, the refractive index did not show significant differences, while the melon seed + chemical solvent method (T5) stood out in moisture content (2.37%), ash (0.12%) and saponification index (198.33 mg KOH/g). It was also established that the melon seeds + combined method obtained the highest acidity content with 0.48 %, and in relation to the iodine index, the watermelon + cold pressed method stood out with a value of 134.44 %. Conclusion: It is concluded that the peroxide index in the two oils was favorable due to its result. The fatty acid profiles show that the highest content was oleic acid, followed by palmitic acid.