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 strike of 1928 trust, to ensure that workers finished out the cantaloupe season. With the grievances mounting and fervent anti-immigration rhetoric in the American discourse, many Mexicans sought labor organization as a solution. The workers unionized in order to protect their interests. In April 1928, Mexican workers in California formed the Union of United Workers of the Imperial Valley that boasted a membership of 2,754 workers of Mexican heritage. The union sought a remedy to their grievances, so on May 3, 1928, “they appealed to the Chambers of Commerce in the Valley to act as intermediaries in adjusting their complaints”, but it was