Melons belong to the Cucurbitaceae family of plants, and this family includes cucumbers. Melon is a good source of essential nutrients, although the flesh of the fruit has a very high water content so the density of the nutrients are low, and this is also a characteristic of cucumbers. However, the seeds of melon are much more nutrient dense and they can provide significantly more nutritional value than the flesh of the fruit. Studies have investigated the nutritional content of seeds, and in one study researchers analysed muskmelon (Cucumis melo) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). In relation to this, the seeds were found to be high in energy as would be expected, and were also rich in carbohydrates, fat, proteins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. The fatty acids within the seeds were a mixture of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as the omega-6 (linoleic acid), monounsaturated fatty acids such as omega-9 (oleic acid), as well as saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid and stearic acid. The fat content likely explains most of the energy content of the seeds. Phytochemicals in the seeds included flavonoids, phenolics, saponins and alkaloids.
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