Comparison of Lycopene Contents among Different Mini Watermelon Cultivars

Lycopene was extracted from mini watermelon using 2.0% dichloromethane in petroleum as solvent, then was detected at the wavelength of 503 nm by 722 spectrophotometer. Based on this rapid and inexpensive method, analysis for the lycopene contents in different mini watermelon cultivars were studied. The results showed that lycopene was almost synthesized in the late stage of fruit development, 18-24 d after pollination was the most important stage for lycopene synthesis. The lycopene contents in different watermelon cultivars were significantly different, and red flesh cultivarpink flesh cultivarorange flesh cultivaryellow flesh cultivar. The contents in the red flesh cultivar ranged from 56.6-75.2 μg/g.