Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

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Scientific African
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/sciaf

Comparative antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the

peels, rind, pulp and seeds of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
fruit
David Neglo a, Clement Okraku Tettey b,∗, Edward Ken Essuman c,
Nii Korley Kortei c, Adjoa Agyemang Boakye b, Gaston Hunkpe b, Flora Amarh d,
Pius Kwashie a, Waikhom Sayanika Devi b
a
Department of Basic Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
b
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
c
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
d
Department of Dispensing Technology, Wa Polytechnic, Wa, Ghana

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This study investigated the antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of the peel, rind, pulp and
Received 17 February 2020 seeds of C. lanatus (watermelon) as well as their respective phytochemical composition.
Revised 18 September 2020
The antioxidant effect was investigated using the DPPH and ABTS assay whereas the an-
Accepted 30 September 2020
timicrobial activity was evaluated using the well diffusion and broth dilution methods. The
results revealed that the peel possessed the highest antioxidant activity whereas the pulp
Keywords: demonstrated the lowest. The peels demonstrated the highest antimicrobial effect, which
Antimicrobial was followed by the seed and then the rind. The pulp, however, demonstrated the least
Antioxidants antimicrobial activity. A strong correlation was observed between total phenolic contents
Metabolites and biological activity. The peels were found to possess the highest content of total pheno-
Phenolics lics (0.087±0.002 mgGAE/g), which was followed by the seed (0.042±0.003 mgGAE/g) and
Watermelon
the rind (0.026±0.003 mgGAE/g). The pulp did not only demonstrate the lowest antiox-
idant and antimicrobial activities but also had the lowest phenolic content (0.010±0.001
mgGAE/g). The peel and the seed show the presence of flavonoids whereas alkaloids and
free reducing sugars were present in all parts of the watermelon fruit. From the results
of the current study, it can, therefore, be concluded that among the various parts of the
watermelon fruit, the peel has the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activity whereas
the pulp has the least. The peels and seeds are not only potent in their antioxidant and
antimicrobial effects but also possess appreciable levels of phenolic compounds relative to
the other parts.
© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of Mathematical Sciences
/ Next Einstein Initiative.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: tettey.clement@gmail.com (C.O. Tettey).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00582
2468-2276/© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of Mathematical Sciences / Next Einstein Initiative. This is an open access
article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
D. Neglo, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman et al. Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

Fig. 1. Transverse section of watermelon fruit showing the various parts.

Introduction

There is a shifted attention to the search for antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds from natural sources [1]. This
is partly due to the side effect of some synthetic drugs liaised with the resistance to their activities by pathogens [2].
This problem is of public health concern in terms of disease controls. Plants have proven to be an important source of
pharmaceuticals for the treatment of various diseases [3]. Most of these phytochemicals: steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids,
alkaloids, tannins and glycosides, have been demonstrated to possess potent biological effects. Some of these include anti-
cancer, antimicrobial, diuretic, anti-diabetic, and anti-fertility effects [4,5].
Fruits are relevant for their content in phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre [6]. These are
responsible for reducing the risk of development of health problems such as certain types of cancer, heart-related diseases,
type 2 diabetes, obesity and constipation [7]. Watermelon belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae with several genera and
species. It is grown almost all over the world including Africa, Asia, the United States and Russia [8]. The watermelon
fruit contains as much as 92.0% (v/w) of water and is mostly rich in carotenoids [9]. The peels, rind and seeds are usually
discarded or used as a feed supplement for animals. These often-neglected parts are claimed to possess health benefits. The
rind is known to possess a vasorelaxant effect [10]; the seed regulates blood sugar by triggering insulin release from the
β -cell of the islet of Langerhans [11] whereas the peels are known to have analgesic activities [12]. However, research on
their biological effects is scarce. It is therefore important to carry out studies on the health benefits of these neglected parts
to increase awareness of consumers on the beneficial effects of all the various parts of watermelon [13].
The aim of this study was, therefore, to carry out a comparative assessment of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity
as well as the phytochemical profile of the various parts of the watermelon fruit.

Method

Materials

2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2, 2 -azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic) acid (ABTS) were pur-

chased from Sigma Aldrich, Korea. Ascorbic acid, gallic acid and Folin–Ciocalteau reagent were also obtained from Shinyo
Pure Chemicals Co. LTD, Japan.

Test organisms
The microorganisms used were clinical isolates and these include Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 19433), Salmonella typhii
(ATCC 19430), Staphylococcus aureus (NCIMB 6571), Staphylococcus albus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli (ATCC
25922), Bacillus subtilis (NCTC 10073), Klebsiella oxytoca (ATCC 13182), Streptococcus salivanus (DSM 20617), Micrococcus liteus,
Listeria innocua, Shigella sonnei (DSM 5570) and Salmonella enterica (ATCC 13076).

Collection and preparation of sample

Fresh fully-grown C. lanatus (Charleston Gray type) from Sogakope farms was bought from the local market in Ho, Ghana.
It was washed with distilled water and the outer skin (peel) removed (thus the thin green-yellowish outer membrane of the
exocarp). The remaining rind (the thick whitish inner portion of the exocarp) and the pulp (the juicy part of the watermelon
mostly red or pink) were carefully separated from each other and sliced (Fig. 1). The seeds and the peels were sun-dried
after which each was ground with a warring blender to fine powder. The rind and pulp were each juiced by blending and
subsequently sieved.

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D. Neglo, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman et al. Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

Extraction of samples

The seed (49.50 g), peel (73.63 g), the pulp (1192.00 g) and the rind (1116.00 g) were each extracted in 400 mL methanol
for 24 h with mechanical shaking at room temperature. The filtrates were concentrated using hot air oven to dryness at
45 °C and the powdered extracts obtained were stored at 5 °C until ready for use.

Determination of antioxidant activity

Spectrophotometric DPPH and ABTS methods were used to determine the total antioxidant activity.

DPPH radical scavenging activity assay

DPPH scavenging activities of each of the extract was determined as described by Chanda et al. [14] with modifications;
an increased incubation time to include the total antioxidant effects of even the slow-acting phytocompounds. The work-
ing DPPH reagent was prepared by adding 300 μL of the stock (0.6 mM) solution to 10 0 mL of methanol. About 20 0 μL
of each extract (5 mg/mL) was added to 800 μL of the working DPPH solution, shaken and incubated at normal room
temperature for 30 min. After incubation, absorbance was measured at 517 nm using a UV spectrophotometer (Jenway Vis
Spectrophotometer) on blanking with methanol. The experiment was repeated twice and the mean values recorded. The
radical scavenging activity was calculated and expressed as a percentage of the control (free radical solution minus plant
extract) using the following formula:

% Scavenging [DPPH] = [(A0 -A1 )/A0 ] × 100

[15].
Where A0 was the absorbance of the blank (in which the same volume of methanol was used in place of the extract)
and A1 was the absorbance in the presence of the extract or standard.

Determination of 2, 2 -azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic) acid (ABTS) scavenging activity

This was carried out using the method described by Re [16]. A stock solution of (7 mM, 10 mL) ABTS and (2.4 mM,
10 mL) potassium persulfate were mixed to produce the ABTS free radical (ABTS•+ ). The resulting solution was incubated in
the dark at room temperature for 12 h. To produce the ABTS•+ working solution, 1 mL of the ABTS stock solution was further
diluted in 50 mL of methanol and the absorbance calibrated to 0.7 by the cumulative addition of few drops of methanol
at 734 nm. A 20 μL aliquot of each extract (5 mg/ mL) was added to 1 mL of the ABTS•+ solution, mixed and kept down at
25 °C for 10 min. The wavelength was set at 734 nm. The radical scavenging capacity was evaluated as a percentage of the
control sample (free radical solution minus plant extract) as:

(%) inhibition = (A control – A sample )/ Acontrol × 100.

Where A control is the absorbance of ABTS•+ solution and A sample is the absorbance of ABTS•+ + sample (extract /standard).
Ascorbic acid was used as a standard.

Determination of total polyphenol content

The total polyphenol content was calorimetrically estimated using Folin Ciocalteu reagent as described by Mehra et al.
[17] with modification in which the incubation time for the extracts was reduced to 2 h. About 100 μL of 5 mg/mL of each
extract was placed in test tubes. 5 mL of distilled water was added. This was followed by the addition of 0.5 mL of Folin
Ciocalteu’s reagent. After 5 min, 1.5 mL of 20% sodium carbonate was added and topped up with distilled water to get a final
volume of 10 mL. This was then allowed to incubate for 2 h at room temperature giving a blue colour. The absorbance was
subsequently measured at 750 nm using a UV spectrophotometer (Jenway Vis Spectrophotometer). The calibration curve was
prepared using 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/mL solutions of gallic acid in methanol. Total phenolic contents were obtained as
milligrams of gallic acid (standard phenolic compound) per gram dry weight of the sample (mg gallic acid/g dry weight of
sample).

Basic phytochemical screening

Initial screening to evaluate the presence of phytochemicals or secondary metabolites in the extracts of C. lanatus was
performed according to the method described by Amenu et al. [18]. The presence of the secondary metabolites was deter-
mined based on the colour or precipitate of the final solution presented in Table S1.

Determination of antimicrobial activity

The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was determined using both the Kirby-Bauer agar well diffusion method and the
broth dilution method [19].

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D. Neglo, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman et al. Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

Table 1
Percentage yield of extracts from various parts of the watermelon fruit.

Parts of watermelon fruit Dried∗ /fresh weight of Sample/g Weight of sampled extract/g Percentage yield (% w/w)

Pulp 1192.00 27.00 2.27

Rind 1116.00 20.10 1.79
Seed 49.50 1.50 3.03
Peel 73.63 12.00 1.63
∗
seed; peel.

Table 2
Antioxidant activities and total phenolic contents of the various parts of watermelon fruit.

Parts Inhibition of ABTS (%) Inhibition DPPH (%) Total Phenolic content (mgGAE/g)

Peel 91.46 ±3.45a 55.75 ±2.44a 0.087 ±0.002a

Seed 56.10 ±0.01b 41.10 ±5.28b 0.042 ±0.003b
Rind 96.95 ±0.59a 34.48 ±1.63b 0.026 ±0.006c
Pulp 41.46 ±3.45c 33.05 ±4.47b 0.010 ±0.001d
Vitamin C 96.95 ±0.86a 97.42 ±0.40c -

Results are means ± SD for 3 independent assays. Superscript letters in column sharing a common
letter are not significantly different at p>0.05.

Agar diffusion method

Bacterial strain cultures adjusted to a final concentration of 108 CFU/mL using a 0.5 McFarland standard were plated on
Mueller Hinton agar using sterile swabs. For each 500 mg/mL extract, 40 μL was pipetted into the various wells. Chloram-
phenicol at a final concentration of 30 μg/mL was used as a standard. The plates were then incubated for 24 h at 37 °C. The
antibacterial activity against each test organism was quantified by determining the mean zone of growth inhibition.

Broth dilution method

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts against the various organisms were determined using the
micro-dilution method [19]. Microbes were grown overnight at 37 °C in Muller Hinton broth and optical density adjusted to
1 × 106 CFU/mL. Ten test tubes each were filled with 200 μL of a particular microbial suspension and 200 μL of different
concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0, 16.0, 32.0, 64.0, 128.0 and 256.0 mg/mL) of the extracts dissolved in DMSO were added
and incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. The content of each test tube (200 μL) was transferred into 96 well plates using a pipette
and incubated with 50 μL of 5 mg/mL 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)−2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) for 2 h at room
temperature. Absorbance was measured at 570 nm and the percentage inhibition of cell growth was evaluated. Negative
controls were made by replacing extracts with DMSO. For vehicular controls, Muller Hinton broth was used in place of
microbial suspension. MIC values were recorded as the lowest concentrations at which colour change occurred from yellow
to purple.

Statistical analysis

All measurements are expressed as mean ± SD of independent experiments using Microsoft Excel. All tests were carried
out in triplicates.

Results

The seed recorded the highest yield (3.03% w/w) on extraction. This was followed by the pulp (2.27% w/w), rind
(1.79% w/w) and the peel (1.63% w/w) (Table 1).

Antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents of watermelon

The rind of the watermelon demonstrated the highest ABTS radical scavenging activity, by quenching as much as
96.95±0.59% of the ABTS radical. The peel showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging potential of 55.75±2.44% and phe-
nolic content of 0.087±0.002 mgGAE/g. The pulp recorded the lowest value of 41.46±3.45% for ABTS, 33.05±4.47% for DPPH
and 0.010±0.001 mgGAE/g for total phenolic content as shown in Table 2. A calibration curve was used to determine the
values for the total phenolic content of the various parts of the watermelon fruit (Figure S2).

Antimicrobial activity of the various parts of the watermelon fruit

The microbial strains used in this study were susceptible to the extracts of the different parts of the watermelon fruit
at 500 mg/mL. The fruit extract, however, demonstrated no inhibitory effect on Enterococcus faecalis, Micrococcus luteus,

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D. Neglo, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman et al. Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

Table 3
Zone of inhibition of methanolic extracts of the various parts of the watermelon fruit against various strains of micro-organisms.

Mean zone of inhibition of various methanol extracts against different bacteria species
Strains Chloramphenicol (30 μg) Pulp (500 mg/ml) Rind (500 mg/ml) Seeds (500 mg/ml) Peels (500 mg/ml)

Staphylococcus albus 8.33±1.15 7.3±0.47 7.6±0.47 9±0.82 10±0.82

Staphylococcus aureus 19.67±1.53 13±0.82 13±0.82 14±1.63 20±0.82
Enterococcus faecalis 21.67±0.58 NA NA 12±1.63 16±0.82
Pseudomonas fluorescens 21.67±2.52 6.5±0.00 7±0.82 12±1.63 8±0.82
E. coli 11.67±2.52 7.6±0.47 NA 11±0.82 12±1.63
Bacillus subtilis 24.67±0.58 11.5±0.41 13.5±0.41 14.5±0.41 16±0.82
Micrococcus luteus 11.00±2.00 NA 15.5±0.41 10±0.82 11±0.82
Listeria innocua 27.00±1.00 9.3±0.47 6.5±0.41 10.5±0.41 9.3±0.47
Klebsiella oxytoca 26.00±0.01 8.5±0.41 10.5±0.41 9.3±0.47 13±1.25
Salmonella enterica 19.67±1.53 NA 11.5±0.41 9.3±0.47 11.5±0.41
Shigella sonnei 22.67±1.53 8±1.63 12±2.16 18±2.16 16±0.00
Streptococcus thermophilus 19.67±0.58 9±0.82 10±1.41 8±1.41 13±1.25
Salmonella typhii 19.83±0.29 NA NA 10.5±0.41 9.3±0.47

NA= No Activity.

Table 4
Minimum inhibitory concentration of the methanolic extracts of the various parts of watermelon fruit.

The minimum inhibitory concentration of methanol extracts (mg/mL) against the test organisms
Strains Pulp Rind Seeds Peels

Staphylococcus albus 128.00 128.00 32.00 16.00

Staphylococcus aureus 8.00 4.00 16.00 8.00
Enterococcus faecalis 64.00 64.00 8.00 8.00
Pseudomonas fluorescens 128.00 32.00 32.00 16.00
E. coli 64.00 128.00 4.00 2.00
Bacillus subtilis 32.00 8.00 8.00 2.00
Micrococcus luteus 128.00 16.00 4.00 8.00
Listeria innocua 32.00 8.00 4.00 8.00
Klebsiella oxytoca 64.00 8.00 16.0 4.00
Salmonella enterica 128.0 8.00 32.0 8.00
Shigella sonnei 32.00 16.00 2.00 2.00
Streptococcus thermophilus 16.00 64.00 4.00 16.00
S. typhii 128.00 128.0 4.00 8.00

Table 5
Phytochemical contents of various parts of watermelon
fruit.

Presence
Phytochemical Pulp Rind Seed Peel

Saponins + + – +
Tannins – – – +
Alkaloids + + + +
Flavonoids – – + +
Steroids – – – –
Triterpenoids + – + –
Free reducing sugars + + + +

(+) = present (–) = absent.

Salmonella enterica and S. typhi (Table 3). Additionally, the rind had no inhibitory effect on the growth of Enterococcus faecalis,
E. coli, and S. typhi (Table 3). All microbes used in this study were susceptible to the seed and peel extracts (Table 3).
It can be inferred from the minimum inhibitory concentrations that the peels demonstrated the highest antimicrobial
effect (Table 4). This was followed by the seed and then the rind. The pulp, however, demonstrated the least antimicrobial
activity.

Phytochemical contents of various parts of watermelon fruit

Table 5 shows the concentrations of the phytochemical contents of the various parts of the watermelon fruits. Alkaloids
and free reducing sugars were present in all parts of watermelon. Steroids were however absent in all parts. The peel and
the seed also show presence of flavonoids whereas tannins were found present in the peel only. Triterpenoids were found
to be present in the pulp and seeds respectively but were completely absent in the rind and peel. Saponins were absent
only in the seed (Table 5). A calibration curve was used to determine the values for the flavonoid content of the various

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D. Neglo, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman et al. Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

parts of the watermelon fruit (Figure S3). This curve was plotted for various concentrations (X-axis) of catechin against their
respective absorbances (Y-axis). Using the same wavelength (492 nm), the absorbance of a known concentration of each
extract was recorded and extrapolated on the calibration curve in order to ascertain the presence of flavonoids as well as
the catechin equivalence per dry weight of each extract.

Discussion

In recent years, most Sub Saharan African countries are facing burden of infectious and chronic diseases [20]. This in-
creased disease burden has the potential to crush the already struggling health care systems within this region of the world
hence cost-effective measures that can address this increased double disease burden are urgently needed.
The role of oxidative stress in the development of chronic diseases such as cancers, and cardiovascular diseases, and the
ability of antioxidants to counteract this toxic effect of oxidative stress is highly recognized in the literature [21]. Hence
the need to identify newer sources of antioxidants. Additionally, the ability to counteract the infectious disease requires the
availability of antimicrobial agents that are potent against disease-causing strains of microbes. This has led to the search for
newer antimicrobial agents. Plant-based products provide an answer to this problem since they have been shown to possess
both antimicrobial and antioxidant activities [22,23]. Effective extraction and assessment of antioxidants and antimicrobial
agents from these plants are crucial in promoting their applications as pharmaceuticals. In the current study, we compare
the phytochemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of different parts of the watermelon plant.
The antioxidant property was assessed using the ABTS and DPPH assays. Both assays were used in this study because the
DPPH assay has been widely used for screening antioxidant activity as it is sensitive enough to detect active compounds at
low concentrations [24] whereas the ABTS•+ is also sensitive over a broad range, from highly potent to very weak antioxi-
dants, the latter which may not be detected by the DPPH assay [25]. Results from the ABTS assay showed that the rind and
the peel had scavenging activity greater than 90% which was very similar to that of vitamin C, a well-known antioxidant.
The pulp, however, showed the least scavenging activity (Table 2). This is similar to the results reported earlier that showed
that peel extracts from watermelon fruit had significant free radical scavenging activity [26]. However, our current study dif-
fered from the above-mentioned study in that we compared the antioxidant potential of different parts of the watermelon
fruit whereas that study looked at the influence of different solvent extracts on the antioxidant potential of the watermelon
peel.
For the DPPH assay, however, the peel showed the highest antioxidant activity followed by the seed, rind and the pulp.
The values obtained for the seed extract was lower than those obtained by Tabiri et al. [27] when they examined the antiox-
idant activity of the seeds of three varieties of watermelon from Ghana but higher than those obtained by Acar et al. [28].
In the former study, large inter-variety differences were observed in the percentage inhibition values obtained (from 59 to
94%). Additionally, different solvents have been shown to influence the levels of bioactive compounds that exert antioxidant
effects. Thus, the slight differences observed between our study and those in the literature could be due to differences in ex-
traction methods and the variety of the fruit. However, notwithstanding the extraction method or variety used, watermelon
seeds have been shown to possess antioxidant properties.
The presence of phenolic compounds in plant-based products has been associated with antioxidant potential [29]. We
observed that the total phenolic compound correlated with the antioxidant activity observed with the peel having the high-
est phenolic compound composition and the pulp having the least (Table 2) suggesting that the observed antioxidant effects
may be as a result of the presence of these phenolic compounds.
Based on previous studies that have shown that watermelon has antimicrobial effects, we investigated the antibacterial
effects of the different extracts against some selected bacterial strains. The peel and seed extracts showed antimicrobial
activity against all the microorganisms that were investigated (Table 4). The mean zone of inhibition values for the peel
extract was in a similar range to that of the positive control (chloramphenicol), which is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The
extracts showed antimicrobial activities against both gram-positive and negative bacteria to a similar extent make them a
potentially good source of antimicrobial agents. These results are similar to those reported previously which showed that the
seed extract from watermelon had significant antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli [[30,31]]. These studies also
reported on the antimicrobial activity of the seed extract against P. aeruginosa which was not part of the bacteria species
examined in the current study. The pulp showed antimicrobial activity against all microbes examined except S. typhii, S.
enterica, M. luteus and E. faecalis. Similarly, the rind did not show any activity against S. typhii and E. faecalis as well as E.
coli (Table 3). This could be due to the differences in the phytochemical compositions of both parts, which is responsible for
the varying efficacies observed against different microbes. However, future studies into the isolation of specific flavonoid or
phenolic compounds which may be responsible for such varying efficacy are warranted. Generally, the minimum inhibitory
concentrations for the peel extract were lower than those for the seed, rind and the pulp, reiterating the medicinal potential
of the watermelon seeds as a potential source of antibiotic (Table 4).
Phytochemical screening of the different parts for saponins, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids and free
reducing sugars showed the following results. Whereas free reducing sugars and alkaloids were found in all of the parts
examined steroids were absent in all of the extracts (Table 5). Alkaloids are an important therapeutic component of plants
some of which have been shown to possess antimicrobial activity [27]. The presence of alkaloids in all the extract examined
may explain why all the different extracts showed some antibacterial activity. The presence of alkaloids in the watermelon
seeds, pulp and peels have been previously reported [32].

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D. Neglo, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman et al. Scientific African 11 (2021) e00582

Triterpenoids have also been shown to possess antimicrobial activity and were found to be present in only the seeds
and pulp [33]. Tannins and saponins are other classes of phytochemicals known to possess, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
properties [34,35]. In our study, tannins were found to be present in only the peels whereas saponins were present in all
the parts examined except for the seeds. The absence of saponins in the seeds from our study contrast that observed by
Johnson et al. [31] but is similar to that observed by Bello et al. [32]. This can be due to differences in variety, solvent and
extraction methods used. Generally, the peels showed the highest composition of these phytochemicals whereas the pulp
showed the least concentration. This observation correlated with the amount of antimicrobial activity observed against the
strains of bacteria investigated. These results suggest that the often-non-consumed components of watermelon plant (peel
and seeds) may possess some therapeutic value and hence should not be discarded.
Future studies looking at the individual compounds present within each phytochemical class in the different extracts will
be necessary to explain the relative susceptibility of the different organisms towards the different extracts. This is because
previous studies have shown that the type of phytochemical isolated could influence the observed antimicrobial effects [33].

Conclusion

From the results of the current study, it can, therefore, be concluded that among the various parts of watermelon fruit,
the peel has the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities whereas the pulp has the least. The peels and seeds are
not only potent in their antioxidant and antimicrobial effects but also possess significant levels of total phenolics which are
compounds responsible for a plethora of medicinal properties in plants.

Declaration of Competing Interest

Authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Supplementary materials

Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.
e00582.

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