EFFECTS OF HARVEST MATURITY AND POSTHARVEST STORAGE DURATION ON THE NUTRITIONAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF CITRULLUS LANATUS CV. “WLÊWLÊ” SEEDS

Food self-sufficiency depends on the availability of nutritious and safe food resources. In this context, the valorization of underutilized plant species rich in essential nutrients could contribute to improving food and nutritional security. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of harvest maturity and postharvest storage duration on the biochemical composition of Citrullus lanatus seeds (cv. “Wlêwlê”). The experiment was conducted at Nangui ABROGOUA University, where female flowers were tagged at flowering. Fruits were harvested at 30 (R30) and 35 (R35) days after fertilization, cut open, and stored for 0 (E0), 30 (E30), or 60 (E60) days before seed extraction. The extracted seeds were analyzed for their nutritional and phytochemical composition. Harvest maturity and storage duration significantly affected several biochemical parameters (p < 0.05), although the magnitude and direction of these changes depended on the parameter considered. Lipid content reached its highest value after 30 days of storage for both harvest maturities, with a maximum of 56.71% in R35 seeds. Protein content was generally higher in R30 seeds, reaching a maximum of 30.09% at E30. Ash content decreased slightly with storage duration and was generally higher in R35 seeds, whereas total phenolic content showed a maturity-dependent response, reaching its highest value in R35 seeds after 60 days of storage. These findings demonstrate that harvest maturity and postharvest storage duration jointly influence the nutritional and phytochemical composition of C. lanatus seeds. A 30-day storage period may represent a suitable compromise for preserving several nutritional attributes, particularly protein and lipid contents.