Watermelons are able to contain a huge amount of nitrates, and this largely depends on the large size that these gourds can reach . In the summer, almost all people enjoy relishing juicy watermelon pulp, which is most prone to absorb harmful substances. In order to protect yourself and your loved ones from possible poisoning, you should learn to determine the amount of toxic components yourself.
The nitrates in the watermelon themselves are practically non-toxic, but nitrites are formed from them, the danger of which is that they can provoke a lack of oxygen to the blood, resulting in hypoxia. With excessive intake of nitrates in the body, the incubation period of the disease can be from 2 to 6 hours, after which signs of acute poisoning begin to be detected.
Symptoms of nitrate intoxication:
- the appearance of cyanosis of the mucous membranes, lips, face and nails;
- nausea;
- increased salivation;
- vomiting
- stomach pains;
- diarrhea;
- general weakness;
- drowsiness;
- Strong headache;
- impaired coordination of movements.
Caution - nitrate watermelon!
In a watermelon overfed with nitrates, the flesh is intensely red in color with a slight purple tint. Fibers going from core to crust are yellowness, while normally they should be white. An “irregular” watermelon has a smooth glossy cut surface, and if you grind its flesh in a glass of water, it will turn pink or red. It should be noted that early products contain an increased amount of nitrates, so it is better to buy them in late summer or early fall. The properties of the fetus depend not so much on the season as on the conditions of cultivation and irrigation. The norm of nitrates in a watermelon should not exceed 60 mg per kilogram of product, and everything above these indicators is a threat to human health and life.
Choosing the “Right” Watermelon
If you tap on the crust of a normal watermelon, you can hear a small ringing, and the nitrate product makes a specific sound of a deflated rubber ball. When a healthy fetus is squeezed, a characteristic crack is heard, it has a clear bright pattern, and an earth spot is visible from one of its sides. Nitrates in a watermelon make its flesh glossy and too smooth, although normally it should be
granular and sugar. A dangerous fruit often has rotted spots on its peel, which indicate that it was precisely in these places that harmful substances were injected. Purple or yellow streaks in the pulp indicate that the nitrates in the watermelon are much higher than the permissible limits. It should be noted that large fruits, as a rule, contain more harmful substances, therefore it is recommended to choose medium-sized gourds.
There are a great many tips on how to test a watermelon for nitrates, but there is a special device called nitratomer for this. With the help of such an apparatus, it is possible to quickly and accurately determine the amount of harmful substances contained in fruits. By the way, nitrates in watermelon do not accumulate uniformly: their high concentration is observed under the peel of the fetus, so this is the part that needs to be taken for analysis.