Watermelon is 90% water and contains many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
However, not all watermelons are safe to eat, as some may contain dangerous nitrates.
Nitrates are chemical compounds that are used as fertilizers to promote plant growth.
However, when they enter the human body, they can turn into nitrites, which cause poisoning, headaches, nausea, vomiting and even cancer.
How to determine nitrates in watermelon
There are several ways to test a watermelon for nitrates.
One of the easiest and fastest is to use special test strips that can be purchased at a pharmacy or online store. To do this, you need to do the following:
• Cut a piece of watermelon and squeeze the juice out of it.
• Place the test strip in the juice and wait a few seconds.
• Compare the color of the test strip with the color scale on the packaging.
• If the color of the test strip matches the green or yellow color on the scale, then the watermelon is safe to eat. If the color of the test strip matches the orange or red color on the scale, then the watermelon contains nitrates and is best not to eat.
How to choose a good watermelon
To make sure there are no nitrates in a watermelon, you can not only conduct a special test, but also evaluate its appearance and aroma.
Here are some tips on how to choose a good watermelon:
• The watermelon should be heavy and have a brightly colored rind.
• The watermelon should have a yellow or white spot where it lay on the ground. This means it is ripe enough.
• The watermelon should sound hollow when tapped. If the sound is high pitched or hollow, the watermelon is overripe or spoiled.
• The watermelon should not have any cracks, blemishes or damage to the rind. This may indicate that it has been treated with chemicals or contaminated with bacteria.
