Identification of Fatty acids, Carbohydrates and Organic acids in an Aqueous Extract of Red Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Rinds by UHPLC-Q Exactive HF Orbitrap

Watermelon is a Cucurbitaceae and a fruit that has great deal of medicinal and nutritional potency. Watermelon is endowed with a lot of nutrients in different proportions such as glucose, fructose, amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins. Supplementing watermelon juice in diet promotes vascular health and World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the intake of the fruits for healthy living. The search for more phytochemicals and nutrients in fruits is a continuous practice especially in the advent of more sensitive spectroscopic equipment. In the current research, rind of commonly consumed red watermelon is investigated for possible nutritional compounds using higher sensitive UHPLC in tandem with Q Exactive HF Orbitrap. The findings revealed the putative occurrence of some carbohydrates (glucose, fructose and galactose), short-chain fatty acids (6,11-dioxododecanoic acid and dihydroxypropoxy-9-oxononanoic acid) and organic acids (citric acid, malic acid and azelaic acid). The results of the research could upgrade the rinds of watermelon and may give rise to considerations on ways to utilize the rinds to serve better purposes such as supplement for human diet or be made part of animal feed like chicken and fish.