All About Rock Melon
The cantaloupe, or rock melon, is a tropical plant and a cousin of the
squash with origins in India and Africa. Cultivation started in Egypt
and later on was adapted by the Greeks and the Romans. It was
Christopher Columbus who introduced the cantaloupes to the North
American people in 1494. The rinds of the European cantaloupes differs
with the North American cantaloupes but it has the same firm and sweet
flesh inside.
Its outer layer can easily contain Salmonella so it treated with a
disinfectant or a bleaching agent named sodium hypochlorite after
harvesting to avoid further growth of the bacteria. This treatment makes
it hard to determine the quality of the fruit because it covers up the
aroma of the fruit. The fruit should be washed properly before cutting
or eating it and stored right away. The cantaloupe is best not more than
three days from the time it was cut.
A cantaloupe is eaten in different ways, fresh, as an ingredient in
Salads,
Sorbet or as a dessert. It is a
good source of polyphenol antioxidants which are known to remove free
radicals and is good for the heart, the veins, blood vessels and the
immune system. Nitric oxide is an important chemical in promoting good
health of the of cells in the inside surface of the blood vessels and it
also helps in preventing heart attacks. The formation of nitric oxide is
regulated by polyphenol antioxidants. It is also a good source of
Vitamin C which contains 61% of the recommended adult dosage in the U.S.
A cantaloupe that was grown in Illinois was found to have the most
percentage of the best penicillin content in it. Penicillin is an effect
antibiotic for different diseases and infections.
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