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Saturday Night Treat Could Be Fuel Source
Published Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 04:54 AM
Once the center of attention at many a Saturday night gathering, the watermelon could soon find its way into our gas tanks. Agricultural Research Service studies conducted in Lane, Oklahoma have shown that simple sugars in watermelon juice can be made into ethanol.

In 2007, growers harvested four billion pounds of watermelon for fresh and cut-fruit markets. Around 800 million pounds--or 20 percent of the total--were left in fields because of external blemishes or deformities. Now, instead of being plowed under, such melons could get an economic - new lease on life - as ethanol.

Nutraceutical compounds such as lycopene and citrulline are thought to promote cardiovascular and other health benefits. Studies indicate that after these compounds are extracted from watermelon ethanol can be fermented from the glucose, fructose and sucrose in waste-stream juices. Making ethanol offers the potential benefits of helping to defray sewage treatment costs and provide watermelon growers with a new market for their crop.

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