Be careful, a family of three went to the hospital after eating overnight watermelon! There is a substance in watermelon that is higher than that in tomatoes?

Recently, in Xi'an, Shaanxi, the news #A family of three suffered from gastroenteritis after eating overnight watermelon# became a hot topic.

Tutu (pseudonym) and his family began to feel nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after eating overnight watermelon. His parents were admitted to the local hospital due to gastroenteritis. Tutu not only had symptoms of gastroenteritis, but also anemia, anuria, and renal failure. He rushed to the Nephrology Department of Xi'an Children's Hospital for hemodialysis and plasma exchange treatment.

Watermelon is a great way to cool down in the summer and is also a common fruit in many families in the summer.

Very big! Very heavy!

The heaviest watermelon weighs 30kg!

The temperature is high in summer, and watermelon is rich in sugar, which is a natural culture medium for microorganisms. The reason why the family of three in the news ate overnight watermelon and suffered food poisoning was probably because the watermelon was not properly stored, which led to excessive growth of bacteria, causing food poisoning, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms.

How to eat watermelon safely in summer? Whose rumors about watermelon did you believe?

1. Is watermelon sweet because of sweeteners?

Watermelon tastes very sweet, but it has nothing to do with sweeteners!

If you want to inject sweetener into a watermelon, you have to give it an injection, which is not very realistic, whether it is from the butt or the head of the watermelon.

First, it will leave a hole in the watermelon, which is enough to speed up the spoilage of the watermelon. It may rot before it can be sold, and the damaged part will deteriorate more obviously.

Second: Even if the sweetener is injected with a needle, it will not spread to all parts of the watermelon, but will only stay where the injection is made. Only the needle hole will be sweet, and other parts will not be sweet.

The reason why watermelon tastes sweet is because it is rich in fructose, and the taste of watermelon will be even sweeter after being chilled!

The sweetness of fructose is 1.7 times that of sucrose and 2.3 times that of glucose.

▲Figure: Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents

There are two types of fructose: fructose pyranose and fructose furanose. The sweetness of fructose pyranose is three times that of furanose, but as the temperature decreases, furanose will transform into fructose pyranose. When the temperature is below 40°C, the lower the temperature, the higher the sweetness.

Therefore, eating chilled watermelon will not only make you feel cool, but also taste sweet!

2. Does seedless watermelon mean it has been injected with birth control pills?

Of course not!

Seedless watermelon was first cultivated in Japan in the 1930s. In fact, there are some small undeveloped seeds in it. They are very soft and can be eaten directly.

Seedless watermelons have nothing to do with birth control pills. They are the result of artificial breeding after scientists have conducted "deep training and transformation" on watermelons.

Seedless watermelon is the result of a hybrid between the diploid and tetraploid ordinary watermelons. They are triploid watermelons and cannot "give birth", so they have no seeds.

In addition, birth control pills are only effective for animals, not for plants.

3. Is it because the watermelon is soaked in preservatives that it does not rot?

I have thick skin, so it won’t get rotten that easily!

The hard and thick skin of watermelon has a dense texture, which can effectively protect the watermelon flesh inside. It is normal for such a "closed space" to have a long storage period, and there is no need to soak it in preservatives. Besides, preservatives are not cheap.

4. Can people with diabetes eat watermelon?

able!

The GI value (GI stands for glycemic index) of watermelon is indeed relatively high, GI=72, which is a high GI food, so people with high blood sugar dare not eat it for fear of affecting their blood sugar.

However, to see whether food has an impact on blood sugar, we cannot just look at GI, but also GL (glycemic load), which can better reflect the impact of food on blood sugar.

GL = GI × available carbohydrate content in food (g) / 100

If you eat 100g of watermelon, the GL is about 4.8. Foods with a GL below 10 are considered low GL foods. Therefore, for people with high blood sugar, eating 100g of watermelon will have little effect on their blood sugar.

5. What nutrients does watermelon have?

The best thing that eating melon can replenish in summer is water. Watermelon has a high water content, reaching more than 90%.

Moreover, the lycopene content of watermelon is relatively good. The flesh of high-quality watermelon is dark red and contains antioxidant lycopene, which is higher than that of tomatoes.

6. How can I pick a good melon?

High-quality watermelons are not only delicious, but also contain more lycopene. The quality of watermelons can be selected as follows:

① Look at the appearance: When the skin of the watermelon turns yellow, it means that the watermelon is ripe, and the sound it makes when tapped is deep and strong.

② Look at the weight: For watermelons of the same size, the heavier the watermelon, the better the quality.

③ Look at the variety: Early Spring Red Jade, Jingxin No. 1, Qilin Melon, Special Small Feng Watermelon, etc., all taste relatively sweet.

7. Pay attention to the storage method

Many people are accustomed to eating chilled watermelon, but you must pay attention to the storage method!

It is recommended to buy a smaller one. If you want to cut it and chill it, first of all, you should pay attention to separate the chopping board and knife for raw and cooked food (emphasis added). Do not use the side for cutting raw meat, and do not use the knife for cutting raw meat. Secondly, be sure to seal it with plastic wrap and then put it in the refrigerator.

Eat it as soon as possible the next day, no more than 3 days! If there is an odor, throw it away decisively and do not eat it.

Summarize:

Eating watermelon in summer is a kind of enjoyment, but don't eat too much, be careful of gaining weight! It is recommended to eat 200g~350g of watermelon a day, which is about the size of two hands.

If you really want to show off half of your melon at once, then exercise more and don’t be lazy!

References:

[1] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents[M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2022

[2] Harold Mackey, author, translated by Cai Chengzhi. Food and Cooking: Vegetables, Fruits, Spices, and Grains. Beijing Fine Arts Photography Publishing House. August 2013.