Wayne Fish, working with a team of researchers at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Oklahoma, suggests that rejected watermelons can be the potential source of biofuel. So, it won’t worry anyone since no damage to the food crop is involved.
Cashing in on the fruit-leftovers, the researchers are hopeful to exploit the neutraceutical value of lycopene and L-citrulline found abundantly in watermelon. Watermelon juice contains about 10% directly fermentable sugars and about 15 to 35 umol/ml of free amino acids. Either the whole juice concentrated thrice or the neutraceutical waste could be mixed with other concentrated feedstock to suffice it for bioethanol production. Hence, it serves as diluent and nitrogen supplement.
Via: Biotechnology For Biofuels