Cantaloupe

For other uses, see Cantaloupe (disambiguation).

Cantaloupe
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucumis
Species:	C. melo
Subspecies:	C. m. cantalupensis C. m. reticulatus
Trinomial name
Cucumis melo cantalupensis Cucumis melo reticulatus Naudin.

Cantaloupe (also cantaloup) refers to two varieties of muskmelon (Cucumis melo) , which is a species in the family Cucurbitaceae (a family which includes nearly all melons and squashes). Cantaloupes are typically 15–25 cm in length and are somewhat oblong, though not as oblong as watermelons. Like all melons, cantaloupes grow best in sandy, well-aerated, well-watered soil that is free of encroaching weeds.

Cantaloupes by region

The European Cantaloupe

The European cantaloupe is Cucumis melo cantalupensis. Its lightly-ribbed, pale green skin looks quite different from the North American cantaloupe.

The North American cantaloupe

Macro photo of the skin of a North American cantaloupe.

The North American cantaloupe, common in the United States and in some parts of Canada, is Cucumis melo reticulatus (or sometimes C. melo melo var. cantalupensis), a different member of the same muskmelon species. It is named reticulatus due to its net-like (or reticulated) skin covering. In Australia and New Zealand, it is called rockmelon due to the rock-like appearance of the skin of the fruit. It is called a spanspek or sweet melon in South Africa, where it is harvested during the summer months October through February. It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately-sweet flesh and a thin reticulated light-brown rind. Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist but are not common, and they are not considered as flavorsome as the more common variety.

Origin

The cantaloupe originated in India and Africa.

The cantaloupe was named after the comune Cantalupo in Sabina, in the Sabine Hills near Tivoli, Italy, a summer residence of the Pope. It was originally cultivated about the year 1700 from seeds brought from Armenia, part of the homeland of melons.

The most widely enjoyed variety of European cantaloupe is the Charentais, cultivated almost exclusively in France. Pope Innocent XIII(1721-1724) is said to have enjoyed sipping Port wine from a partially hollowed melon half as an apéritif.

Cantaloupes were first introduced to North America by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1494. The W. Atlee Burpee Company developed and introduced the "Netted Gem" in 1881 from varieties then growing in North America.

Production and use

Cantaloupes on sale in Japan for 2800 yen each.

For commercial plantings, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends at least one hive of honeybees per acre (4,000 m² per hive) for pollination. Good pollination is essential, not only for the number of fruits produced, but also for the sugar content of these fruits.

A ripe cantaloupe will have a musky sweet smell at the stem end of the melon. An odorless melon is likely to be tasteless.

Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a dessert with ice cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar modern antipasto. Sanjeev Kapoor describes the charentais variety: "the orange, sugary and fragrant flesh makes this fruit popular both as a dessert or main course. These have smooth gray-green rinds and very fragrant orange flesh. It keeps well when stored in a cool, dry place and ripens after several days in a warm room."

Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria - in particular, salmonella - it is always a good idea to wash a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. Optimum preparation procedures involve disinfection with a fine mist of ethanol on the outside of the fruit, but this is rarely carried out (outside of professional facilities) due to the relative non-availability (to the average consumer) of ethanol that is not mixed with methanol (methylated spirits) or traces of benzene (laboratory grade "100%" ethanol).

A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1941 was found to contain the best and highest quality penicillin after a world-wide search.

Cantaloupe can also be extracted to isolate an enzyme known as superoxide dismutase (SOD), essential for maintaining strong antioxidant defenses in the human body. When paired with a wheat gliadin delivery system to protect it from other more destructive enzymes (a complex known as glisodin), cantaloupe extract has clinically-proven benefits for a variety of health applications.

Food chemistry

Cantaloupe melon

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	34 kJ (8.1 kcal)
Carbohydrates	8.16 g
Sugars	7.86 g
Dietary fiber	0.9 g
Fat	0.19 g
Protein	0.84 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene 19% 169 μg 19% 2020 μg Thiamine (B1) 3% 0.041 mg Riboflavin (B2) 1% 0.019 mg Niacin (B3) 5% 0.734 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 2% 0.105 mg Vitamin B6 4% 0.072 mg Folate (B9) 5% 21 μg Vitamin B12 0% 0.00 μg Vitamin C 41% 36.7 mg Vitamin E 0% 0.05 mg Vitamin K 2% 2.5 μg Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 1% 9 mg Iron 1% 0.21 mg Magnesium 3% 12 mg Phosphorus 1% 15 mg Zinc 2% 0.18 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	90.15 g
Alcohol (ethanol)	0 mg
Caffeine	0 mg
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.

Cantaloupe are a source of polyphenol antioxidants, chemicals which are known to provide certain health benefits to the cardiovascular system and immune system. These chemicals are known to up regulate the formation of nitric oxide, a key chemical in promoting health of the endothelium and prevention of heart attacks.It is good for the liver.

Cantaloupes also are an excellent source of vitamin C and beta carotene.

Varieties

• Anaconda
• Ananas (pineapple)
• Archer F1
• Athena
• Charentais
• Charon
• Cruiser F1
• Eastern
• French
• Western
• Western muskmelon
• Sensation
• Sidewinder improved
• Tuscan
• Viper
• WSC-04-13
• WSC-04-14
• Yubari

References

• "Cucumis melo cantelupensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. September 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• Ensminger, Audrey H (1995). The Concise Encyclopedia of Foods & Nutrition. CRC Press: ISBN 0849344557.
• http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Cantaloupe_-_Origin/id/62238hi

External links

• Nutritional and Historical Information
• MSNBC Article on Farming of Hybridization That Mentions Cantaloupes
• Sorting Cucumis names – Multilingual multiscript plant name database