• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.70-82
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• 2015

This study was conducted to establish an efficient screening system to identify melon resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. F. oyxsporum f. sp. melonis GR was isolated from infected melon plants collected at Goryeong and identified as F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis based on morphological characteristics, molecular analyses, and host-specificity tests on cucurbits including melon, oriental melon, cucumber, and watermelon. In addition, the GR isolate was determined as race 1 based on resistance responses of melon differentials to the fungus. To select optimized medium for mass production of inoculum of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis GR, six media were tested. The fungus produced the most spores (microconidia) in V8-juice broth. Resistance degrees to the GR isolate of 22 commercial melon cultivars and 6 rootstocks for melon plants were investigated. All tested rootstocks showed no symptoms of Fusarium wilt. Among the tested melon cultivars, only three cultivars were susceptible and the other cultivars displayed moderate to high resistance to the GR isolate. For further study, six melon cultivars (Redqueen, Summercool, Superseji, Asiapapaya, Eolukpapaya, and Asiahwanggeum) showing different degrees of resistance to the fungus were selected. The development of Fusarium wilt on the cultivars was tested according to several conditions such as plant growth stage, root wounding, dipping period of roots in spore suspension, inoculum concentration, and incubation temperature to develop the disease. On the basis of the test results, we suggest that an efficient screening method for melon plants resistant to F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis is to remove soil from roots of seven-day-old melon seedlings, to dip the seedlings without cutting in s pore s uspension of $3{\times}10^5conidia/mL$ for 30 min, to transplant the inoculated seedlings to plastic pots with horticulture nursery media, and then to cultivate the plants in a growth room at 25 to $28^{\circ}C$ for about 3 weeks with 12-hour light per day.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.259-265
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• 2015

Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter melon, has interesting pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antioxidant. As supported by recent scientific reports on the beneficial effects of M. charantia, it is one of the most promising functional plants for diabetes today. In this study, we fermented the bitter melon with lactic acid bacteria and investigated the capability of controlling diabetic conditions by decreasing the blood glucose levels. After extracting the fermented bitter melon with hot water or ethanol, we tested several biological activities using mouse models. When we tested the efficacy of the glycemic control, the extracts of fermented bitter melon significantly lowered the blood glucose levels of the alloxan-induced diabetic mice. We also found that the lactic acid bacteria-fermented bitter melon protected liver damages from the treatment of alloxan monohydrates and maintained low levels of triglycerides and high levels of HDL cholesterol in these mouse models. These results suggest that our approach on fermenting bitter melon and the extracts of fermented bitter melon could lead to the possibility of the development of functional foods that contain the effectiveness of controlling blood glucose and lipid levels as well as preventing liver damages.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.902-911
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• 2010

Oriental melon ($Cucumis$ $melo$ var. $makuwa$) is a popular and high-value market fruit cultivated in Korea. Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in oriental melon as a healthy diet over the past few years. However, the melons have relatively high quality loss because the fruit are mainly produced for a limited period of time in the summer season. Lack of the proper postharvest treatments and high temperature exposure at harvest or during distribution are the most critical environmental factors limiting postharvest life of fruit. This review focuses on the overview of current research studies for postharvest treatment and functional packaging technology of oriental melon in Korea. Major physiological problems of the harvest fruit include the ripening process in quality changes of the produce such as loss of weight, firmness, flavor, and decay during the storage periods. Low temperature at 7 to $10^{\circ}C$ with high relative humidity of 90 to 95% is the suitable environmental condition used to maintain the quality of fresh oriental melon. Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage or modified atmosphere (MA) packaging can be used as supplemental treatments to extend postharvest-life. For oriental melon, an optimum CA is currently recommended to be 2-3% oxygen and 5-10% carbon dioxide atmosphere. Precooling, pretreatments of ethylene action and functional packaging system can be applied to oriental melon after harvest in order to extend storage life. Major active packaging technologies are concerned with a selectively gas permeable film related to respiration of produce and the packaging applications of ethylene removal, antimicrobial, and antifogging substances to keep the effective freshness of fruit.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.175-180
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical quality properties of oriental melon pickles harvested after pollination (green and fully ripe period) and soaking (cured and ripened). After the increase of the pollination size of melon, at 21 days, melon had a strong yellowish color, but at 24 days, its tip was completely yellow. In addition, 21 days after 5 days soaking, the weights of the harvested melons were reduced. Since then, there were no remarkable changes in weight. At 27 and 30 days, the b values of the melons that were harvested showed no trace of influence by the number of days of soaking and ripening. The melons harvested after 24 and 27 days, and the oriental melon pickles, maintained a constant hardness and texture after five days of soaking. This result indicates that melons harvested between 15 and 27 days after pollination can be used for melon pickles. To produce high-quality melon pickles with a yellowish color and a chewy texture, melons harvested 27 days after pollination and then soaked and ripened in salt water for 15 days should be used.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.473-482
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• 2014

Changes in quality of mushroom during storage are severe problem that reduce the shelf life of harvested mushrooms. This study investigates the effect of oriental melon peel extracts on maintenance of the quality of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). Mushrooms were dipped in solutions (distilled water, DW; 0.1% oriental melon peel extract, OMP; 0.1% ascorbic acid, AA; and OMP+AA) for 3 minutes. After the dipped mushrooms were air-dried at room temperature, they were packaged in a polypropylene (PP) films and stored at $4^{\circ}C$ and $15^{\circ}C$. The changes in the quality of mushrooms were measured in terms of their color, gas composition, firmness, and sensory evaluation during storage at $4^{\circ}C$ and $15^{\circ}C$. The antioxidant and anti-browning activities of oriental melon peel extract were measured with respect to their total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging, copper chelating activity and PPO inhibition activity. The samples that were dipped in all the solutions did not show significant differences in firmness and gas exchange during their storage at $4^{\circ}C$ and $15^{\circ}C$. At both storage temperatures, the OMP solution samples showed highest L value and lowest delta E value. The sensory evaluation showed that during the storage period, the overall acceptability of mushrooms treated with the OMP and OMP+AA solutions was higher than that of the untreated mushrooms. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of oriental melon peel extract were $4.81mg\;GAE{\cdot}g^{-1}$ and $1.18mg\;QE{\cdot}g^{-1}$, respectively. The DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, copper chelating activity and PPO inhibition activity of the oriental melon peel extract lower than ascorbic acid. All these results suggest that oriental melon peel extract can be used as a natural browning inhibitor.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.506-511
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• 2014

In Gyeongsangbuk-do seongju area, hundreds of tons of spoiled oriental melon are harvested annually. Therefore, ways to prevent such spoilage are needed. This study was conducted to investigate the quality characteristics of spoiled oriental melon juice after enzyme treatment for the production of oriental melon concentrate. The treatment of the oriental melon juice with three kinds of enzymes with variable concentrations showed the following results. PECE(1), which was compounded pectinase and cellulase at 0.01% (v/v), gave the melon a 0.16 brown color and 0.01 turbidity, and the highest L value of 97.00. The detected free sugar contents were fructose, glucose and sucrose, with the amount of sucrose the highest at roughly 4,000 mg%. The mixture of different enzyme treatments resulted in a 0.15 brown color and 0.01 turbidity at 60 minutes, and the L value was high at 97.25. The enzyme treatment temperatures of $50^{\circ}C$ and $60^{\circ}C$ yielded a low-level brown color and low turbidity, but the L values were high at $60^{\circ}C$ and $70^{\circ}C$. These results showed that 0.01% (v/v) mixing enzyme, i.e., pectinase and cellulose compounded at $60^{\circ}C$ for 60 min, must be used for the production of oriental melon concentrate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.401-408
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• 2009

PME88 (gliadin-combined) melon superoxide dismutase (SOD) is known to promote the production of the body‘s own natural antioxidants including superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of PME88 melonSOD on the ultraviolet-induced photo-aging by the evolution of minimal erythemal dose (MED), erythema quotation and spectrocolorimetric measurements of erythema. The analysis of the evolution of the MED showed a significant increase 28 days after the daily taken of the PME88 melonSOD. The analysis of the erythema quotation showed that on D29, for the dose 1.25 MED, erythema intensity is significantly higher for placebo group than for PME88 melonSOD group. At doses 0.64 MED$_{D14}$, 0.80 MED$_{D14}$ and 1 MED$_{D14}$ the value of parameter $a^*$ (the most sensitive to the colour changes bound to the variations of blood flow. It permits to assess the evolution of erythema) is significantly higher for placebo group. No significant difference has been observed between groups (PME88 melonSOD and placebo) on the evolution of the number and consistency of feces after 4 weeks of treatment. No intolerance has been observed during the 4 weeks of treatment. These results mean that PME88 melonSOD as a dietary supplement could be useful to attenuate ultraviolet-induced skin photo-aging.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.166-170
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• 2008

The effects of heat treatments on the antioxidant activities of selected fruits and vegetables were investigated by heating at various temperatures (110, 120, 130, 140, and 150$^{\circ}C$) for 2 hr. The examined fruits and vegetables included tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), oriental melon (Cucumis melon var. makuwa), apples (Malus pumila Miller var. domestica Schneider), melon (Cucumis melon), watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris), and banana (Musa sapientum). The total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents of the juices from heated samples were quantified spectrophotometrically, and their antioxidant activities were determined using DPPH and ABTS radicals. As the heating temperature increased, antioxidant activity also increased. The highest total polyphenol content (2.80 mg/g) occurred in the oriental melon with heating at 150$^{\circ}C$, and this value was 7 times higher than that of the untreated oriental melon (0.40 mg/g). The highest total flavonoid content (148.80 ${\mu}$g/g) occurred in the melon heat treated at 150$^{\circ}C$, and this value was 37 times higher than that of the untreated melon (4.54 ${\mu}$g/g). DPPH radical-scavenging activity was the highest in the watermelon treated at 150$^{\circ}C$ (84.37%, 0.50 mg/g), and this value was 40 times higher than that of the untreated watermelon. Finally, the highest ascorbic acid (AA) equivalent antioxidant capacity (AEAC) value (239.50 mg AA eq/g) was obtained in the watermelon heat treated at 150$^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr (control = 18.35 mg AA eq/g).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.312-318
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: Photoreversibility, a reversion of the inductive effect of a brief red light pulse by a subsequent far red light pulse, is a property of photo responses regulated by the plant photoreceptor phytochrome B. Plants use photoreceptors to sense photo signal and to adapt and modify their morphological and physiological properties. Phytochrome recognizes red light and far red light and plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development. METHODS AND RESULTS: The reversal responses of growth and fruiting characteristics were investigated to increase the yield of oriental melon (Cucumis Melo L. var. Kumsargakieuncheon) by means of controlling light quality in a plastic house. Red (R:660nm) and far red (FR:730nm) lights were subsequently irradiated on the whole stems and leaves of the oriental melon plant during growing periods, using red and far red LEDs as light sources, from 9:00 PM daily for 15 minutes. The intensities of R and FR light were 0.322-0.430 μmol m-2s-1 and 0.250-0.366 μmol m-2s-1, respectively. Compared to R light irradiation, combination of R and FR light irradiation increased the length of internode, number of axillary stems, number of female flowers, and fruit number of oriental melons. The results of treatment with R were similar to R-FR-R light irradiation in terms of length of internode, number of axillary stems, number of female flowers, and number of fruits. When FR treatment was considered, R-FR and R-FR-R-FR light irradiation had similarities in responses. These reversal responses revealed that oriental melon showed a photoreversibility of growth characteristics, flowering, and fruiting. CONCLUSION: These results suggested the possibility of phytochrome regulation of female flower formation and fruiting in oriental melon. The fruit weight of the oriental melon was the heaviest with the R light irradiation, while the number of fruits was the highest with the FR light. With the FR light irradiation, the fruit weight was not significantly higher compared to that of the control. Meanwhile, the yield of oriental melon fruits increased by 28-36% according to the intensities of the FR light due to the increases of the number of fruits.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.72-80
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• 2023

Melons, a rich source of vitamins and fibers, are commonly grown in the soil. Hydroponic cultivation could improve yield and quality of melon and selection of substrate volume and the kind of substrates is important for hydroponic cultivation of melons. This study investigated the effect on melon growth according to volume of granular rockwool and substrates of coir and rockwool slab. 'Geumsegye' melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Geumsegye) was cultivated hydroponically according to volume of granular rockwool to 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 L, and was also cultivated using coir and rockwool slabs. Logistic model was applied to estimate the growth characteristics of melons such as plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and the characteristics of fruit. The growth characteristics of melons were significantly increased at 4.0 L compared to those grown of 1.0 L volume of on granular rockwool, and the results were the highest in coir and rockwool slabs. Melons grown in rockwool slabs showed the largest fruit fresh weight, fruit length, and fruit width. During hydroponic cultivation, growth characteristics of melon appropriate at the 4.0 L volume of granular rockwool, and the highest at coir and rockwool slabs. This study provides a basis for understanding the effect of root zone environment to the growth characteristics and fruit quality of non-netted melon.