Inter Campus News

The summers are round the corner and it’s time take stock of fresh fruits that keep you cool and dry in the heat. Summertime is a time for many delicious juices and refreshing drinks. Lemonades, punches and more of the kind keep us cool and give us some respite from the sweltering heat. Of all these tasty treats of summer, watermelon juice is a particular favorite with many. Watermelons hold the honor of being among the most beloved of fruits all over the world. The sweet and juicy call of this delicious fruit is simply irresistible. Watermelon juice is savored by the whole world. From home to office to school, watermelon juice is a popular sight everywhere. An all-American favorite, watermelon juice is highly nutritious and packed with nature’s goodness in its every drop. Watermelons are full of the phytochemical called lycopene. Watermelons are among few na phen375 turally occurring foods that contain it in large amounts. Other natural sources of lycopene are tomatoes, red and pink grapefruit, apricots, persimmons, red-fleshed papaya and guava. However, it is interesting to remember that the mean lycopene concentration of watermelon (4868 micrograms/100 g) is about 40% higher than the year-round mean for raw tomato (3025 micrograms/100 g), and watermelon ranks 5th among the major contributors of lycopene in the US diet. So, what is Lycopene? Lycopene is a red pigment that occurs naturally in certain plant and algal tissues. In addition to giving watermelon and tomatoes their characteristic ‘red’ color, it is also believed to be a powerful antioxidant. Lycopene scavenges reactive oxygen species, which are aggressive chemicals always ready to react with cell components, causing oxidative damage and loss of proper cell function.