Abstract
THE naras (Acanihosicyos horrida, Hook) is a cucurbitaceous plant, which occurs particularly near Walvis Bay in South-West Africa. The fruit is a small melon consisting of an outer rind and six segments which contain numerous seeds. The fruits and the seeds derived from them were extensively used as foods by the desert dwellers of the area in earlier days, and are still used to some extent in this way. More recently, the seeds have been collected and exported to South Africa, where they have found use in the confectionery industry. Versfeld and Britten1 found that the seed kernels consist mainly of protein (35 per cent) and fat (53 per cent).
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References
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JOUBERT, F., COOPER, D. Naras Seed Protein. Nature 172, 1190 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/1721190a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1721190a0
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