Cantaloupe harmful bacteria—in particular, "Salmonella"—it is recommended to wash and scrub a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. The fruit should be refrigerated after cutting it and consumed in less than three days to prevent risk of "Salmonella" or other bacterial pathogens. A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1943 was found to contain the highest yielding strain of mold for penicillin production, after a worldwide search. Raw cantaloupe is 90% water, 8% carbohydrates, 0.8% protein and 0.2% fat, providing and 2020 μg of the provitamin A orange carotenoid, beta-carotene per 100 grams. Fresh cantaloupe is a rich source
Cantaloupe 1739. The cantaloupe most likely originated in a region from South Asia to Africa. It was later introduced to Europe and, around 1890, became a commercial crop in the United States. The European cantaloupe, "C. melo" var. "cantalupensis", is lightly ribbed with a sweet and flavorful flesh and a gray-green skin that looks quite different from that of the North American cantaloupe. The North American cantaloupe, "C. melo" var. "reticulatus", common in the United States, Mexico, and some parts of Canada, is a different variety of "Cucumis melo", a muskmelon that has a "net-like" (reticulated) peel. It is a round