Watermelon was one step away from becoming the favorite fruit of the most demanding customers, children. And that step was to dispense with the seeds. And it was done! In this way, eating watermelon, even cooking with it, is much easier and more pleasant, since you don’t have to remove dozens of seeds scattered around each slice.
At Vicente Peris we are producers and suppliers of seedless watermelons: the premium black watermelon Vicentín, and the black and striped ‘Peris Dolce’.
Seedless watermelons have become very popular in recent years, most watermelon growers choose to grow this type of watermelon because, in the end, it is what the consumer demands the most. And it is not that it is a novelty, in fact, the seedless watermelon is older than we might think, and its birth is established in 1939 in Japan.
“Seedless watermelon is genetically modified” is a false statement.
The seedless watermelon has aroused misgivings and some people think that these watermelons have been genetically manipulated to eliminate their seeds, i.e., that they are transgenic watermelons. And the truth is that this is not the case.
Seedless watermelons are the result of crossing two watermelons with different chromosomes. Pollen from the male flower of a diploid watermelon plant, with two sets of chromosomes (2n), is used and crossed with the female flower of a tetraploid watermelon, with four sets of chromosomes (4n).
This cross will produce a triploid watermelon, with three sets of chromosomes. This watermelon will develop without any problem, but it will be unable to form seeds inside, or if it does, they will hardly develop, hence we sometimes find, in seedless watermelons, white and soft seeds, imperceptible to the bite, reminiscent of cucumber seeds.
Seedless vs. low seed watermelon
Growing seedless watermelons is a goal that everyone tries to achieve, because it is what the market demands, but not everyone succeeds. In fact, some supermarkets are already starting to label watermelons as ‘low in seeds’, because the qualifier ‘seedless’ does not quite fit the reality in some brands.
In the case of Peris, we only work with seedless watermelons. In fact, their high quality has made them our best-selling fruit, and allows us to reach markets where
piel de sapo melon
is unknown.
In PERIS we have black and striped watermelon practically all year round, always the best varieties, the ones that offer the best textures and maximum flavor. We offer whole watermelon and also cut and shrink-wrapped, a process we carry out in our clean room in IVgama, so that it can reach the points of sale in optimal conditions as far as food safety and freshness are concerned.
The agri-food sector is one of the most innovative sectors in the world
Behind every fruit and vegetable there is a lot of innovation and research. All fruits and vegetables have evolved with human intervention based on consumer tastes. In fact, many of them would be rejected by the market today. Look at this 17th century painting by the Italian artist Giovanny Stanchi, how does this watermelon look like today’s watermelons? In the rind, perhaps. Because its pulp was full of nerves and pips. Blessed R&D&I!
In the agricultural and agri-food sector in general, there is a continuous commitment to innovation. This has been the case for decades for several reasons, but two are the most important.
On the one hand, to satisfy consumer tastes and also to surprise them with original foods, either because of their color (tomatoes and yellow peppers), their size (snack cucumbers, mini melons…), or because they are easy to eat(cut and peeled fruit and vegetables, seedless watermelon…).
Another reason for constant innovation is to cope with the elements, of which there are many in agriculture, such as pests, diseases and climate change. In this case, work is being done to obtain more resistant varieties that are less demanding in terms of water consumption or that can better withstand high temperatures, which are some of the consequences of climate change.
And all this, while maintaining food quality and taste. A challenge season after season that we at Peris meet with dedication and a lot of agricultural technique, both in the field and in our production plants for the fresh-cut and pre-prepared convenience food ranges.