Watermelon is one of the fruits that consumers love to eat, especially in the scorching sun, refreshing, juicy, and sweet watermelon is widely popular. The mainland accounts for nearly half of the world's watermelon cultivation area and is the world's largest watermelon producer and consumer. In order to help consumers choose watermelon correctly and eat it scientifically, the following consumption tips are made.
There are many types and enough water
Watermelon is an annual creeping vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, with large fruits, generally similar to spherical or oval shape, and smooth peel. Watermelons are grown all over the mainland, and the varieties grown in different regions are different and distinctive, and the size of watermelons is also different. In order to meet people's demand for eating watermelon without spitting watermelon seeds, there are also seedless watermelons on the market.
The whole body of watermelon is a treasure, mainly including the pulp, watermelon skin and watermelon seeds. The water content in the pulp of watermelon is as high as 90%, and it is rich in vitamin C, B1, B6, zinc, potassium, β-carotene, lycopene and other compounds, which can be eaten directly or squeezed into juice; Watermelon rind can also be eaten, such as stir-fried, stewed and pickled watermelon rind, etc., or the white skin can be chopped and minced to wrap dumplings with meat; Watermelon seeds contain fat that can be pressed to produce oil, while some varieties of watermelon with less pulp and more seeds can be roasted and seasoned to make watermelon seeds for consumption.
Carefully selected "three points"
First listen: The flesh hardness of watermelons of different ripeness is different, and the ripeness can be judged by patting the watermelon by hand and listening to the sound. The fiber decomposition in the flesh of ripe watermelon will reduce its hardness, and the vibration frequency is lower when beating, and the sound sounds similar to beating a drum, with a slight vibration; Overripe watermelons will have a more muffled sound; The flesh of unripe watermelon is harder, the vibration frequency is high when beaten, and the sound is more crisp.
Second look: the texture is clear, the color is darker, and the spacing between the lines is wider, and the quality of the watermelon with full shape is better. Vines are also an important feature in judging the quality of watermelons. Fresh vines indicate a shorter storage time; A curved vine indicates that the watermelon is ripe, while a straight vine may be unripe. In addition, the ripe watermelon melon navel and guati are slightly concave around it.
Three touches: The fluff on the surface of the ripe watermelon will fall off, and the peel will be smoother and rounder. If the peel is soft and collapsing, it indicates that the inside may have deteriorated, and it is not recommended to buy it.
Scientific edible and skillful storage
Watermelon is delicious, don't be greedy
Watermelon has a low sense of satiety, has a good taste, and is easy to eat more, so pay attention to controlling the amount when eating. If you eat a lot of watermelon, you can appropriately reduce the intake of staple foods.
Special populations should be careful
The sugar content of watermelon is generally around 10%, and diabetics can eat it in small amounts when their blood sugar is stable. If your gut is relatively healthy, you won't have a problem eating some chilled watermelon in moderation. If your intestines are weak, eating too much cold watermelon may cause diarrhea.
Damaged and spoiled should not be eaten
Do not eat watermelon if it is visible to the naked eye if it is damaged, moldy, rotten, etc. before cutting. Even if the rotten part is cut off, other parts of the pulp may have been contaminated.
Store reasonably to ensure safety
The cut watermelon is left at room temperature, it is recommended not to exceed 2 hours. If you can't eat the watermelon at one time after cutting it, you can wrap the watermelon that you don't eat for the time being in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. The refrigerator is not a safe, and there is still bacteria breeding during storage, and the refrigeration time should not exceed 12 hours, and the maximum should not exceed 24 hours. Before serving again, it is recommended to cut off 1 cm of flesh on the surface of the watermelon and discard. Some people experience diarrhea after eating chilled watermelon, most likely because the cut watermelon has been stored for too long.
Source: WeChat public account of China Food Science and Technology Society