Watermelon seed oil is extracted by pressing from the seeds of theCitrullus lanatus(watermelon). It is particularly common inWest Africa, where it is also calledootanga oil.
The common watermelon most likely originated almost 5,000 years ago in theKalahari Desert. Its wild ancestor, the Kalahari Melon, still grows there, and its seeds are pressed fortheir oil. Watermelons migrated north through Egypt, and during the Roman era they were cultivated and prized.[1]
Like their wild ancestors, modern domestic watermelon seeds can be pressed for oil. Traditionally, the seeds are extracted from the seed casing, and dried in the sun. Once dried, the seeds are pressed.
Watermelon seed oil contains high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, primarilylinoleic andoleic acids.[2]
^Tarek A. El-Adawy and Khaled M. Taha (2001). "Characteristics and Composition of Watermelon, Pumpkin, and Paprika Seed Oils and Flours".J. Agric. Food Chem.49 (3):1253–1259.doi:10.1021/jf001117+.PMID11312845.
^Solvent Extractors' Association of India Handbook (2009).
