Experts in the food industry are always searching for natural sources of bioactive compounds to develop products that enhance athletic performance. A new study has suggested that drinking watermelon juice may alleviate muscle ache experienced by many athletes, and non-athletes, following a period of exercise. The study published in the 

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

 showed that naturally high levels of L-citrulline in watermelon juice may be more effective than pharmacological supplements.

Corresponding author Encarna Aguayo told 

 that L-citrulline intake has been reported to improve athletic performance — it is used in nitrogen oxide (NO) synthesis and has the ability to increase glucose transport into skeletal muscle. It has also been indicated as an accelerator of lactic acid removal, reducing muscle ache associated with lactic acid build-up. 

Juice was derived from 10 seedless watermelons. The absorption potential of L-citrulline derived from the juice was compared to the absorption potential of a pharmacological standard, using an in vitro method and high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) analysis. Absorption of L–citrulline from natural watermelon juice was found to be greater than from a pharmacological formulation. Aguayo commented: “The watermelon juice is a more suitable vehicle for the transport and bioavailability of L-citrulline than when using a pure standard, in this instance, a pharmacological formulation.”

HPLC;&ndashMS measured the levels of naturally-occurring sugars within watermelon juice and this data was used to prepare a placebo of the same colour. Seven sport science students participated in a study where they were given 500 mL of either natural watermelon juice (containing 1.17 g naturally‑occurring L–citrulline); L–citrulline enriched watermelon juice (containing 6 g/500 mL); or a placebo (fruit juice infusion containing the same level of sugar as watermelon juice) 1 h before commencing exercise.

Aguayo said: “According to our study, the ingestion of 500 mL of watermelon juice or about 0.5 kg of watermelon (1.17 g of L-citrulline) helped to reduce the recovery heart rate and muscle soreness after 24 h. It is recommended to drink 1 h before the sport activity.” When asked about future work she added: “We are open to working with food companies to develop natural products such as beverages, juices, and energy bars enriched in L-citrulline instead of synthetic compounds from the pharmaceutical industry. We have the patent for the extraction of L-citrulline from cucurbitaceous fruits and it opens a new way to food natural products.”

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Experts in the food industry are always searching for natural sources of bioactive compounds to develop products that enhance athletic performance. A new study has suggested that drinking watermelon juice may alleviate muscle ache experienced by many athletes, and non-athletes, following a period of exercise. The study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that naturally high levels of L-citrulline in watermelon juice may be more effective than pharmacological supplements.

Watermelon Juice Enhances Athletic Performance More Than Pharmacological Standard

Scientists from the University of Bradford (Bradford, UK) have utilized liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) to gain further insight into the child sacrifice practices of the Inca people.

 Their findings indicate the use of alcohol and cocaine (COC) as a method of victim sedation.

In 1999, three bodies were excavated from a sealed chamber at the Andean summit of Volcán Llullaillaco, on the border of Chile and Argentina. The bodies are estimated to have been buried approximately 500 years prior to excavation. Two of the bodies were identified to be around 4—5 years old, and were named the “Llullaillaco Boy” and “Lightening Girl”. The third was identified to be older, at around 13 years of age, and was named “Llullaillaco Maiden”.

 rite of human sacrifice was fundamental to establishing social control of the Inca Empire on newly acquired regions; the positioning of the victims on peaks enforced control over an area. According to an earlier study published by the same team,

 over 100 shrines at Inca ritual sites have been recorded between 5200 m and 6700 m on significant peaks throughout the Andean mountain range. The association of specific sites with lightening strikes and volcanic activity is thought to have been key to their selection. 

Lead author of the study Andrew Wilson said: “From later Colonial period accounts we have indications that children, often as young as four years old, and ‘acllas’, or chosen women selected around puberty, were donated for sacrifice by their parents and from communities which were under control of the Inca Empire.” He added: “One account suggests that this was an honour and that no sadness could be shown when the children were gifted, but the significance of these transactions as a mechanism of social control must have created a climate of fear amongst such communities.”

Coca leaves were found at the site, along with other “offerings”. Cut scalp hair samples, collected in 2003, were defrosted and prepared for LC–MS–MS. Three markers were tested for in the hair samples — COC, the major alkaloid in coca leaves; bezoylecgonine (BZE), the major metabolite of COC; and coca ethylene (COCE), formed in the presence of alcohol. Samples from self-reporting COC users in rehabilitation were used as positive controls. A volume of 5 µL of each sample extract was injected onto a reversed-phase column and analysed by triple quadrupole mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization in positive ion mode.

: “Our approach enabled us to use the minimum of hair to safeguard their exceptionally well-preserved remains, with each segment along these hairs representing roughly six weeks in the lives of these children.” The hair braid of the “Maiden” was two metres long, providing what the authors approximated as a two‑year time-line before her death. The analysis indicated a change in her diet, and therefore her social status, a year before her death.

Wilson said: “We think it’s likely the Maiden was selected for sacrifice 12 months before her death, after which her treatment changed, corresponding to the sharp increase in coca consumption. She was then probably involved in a series of rituals, involving consumption of coca and alcohol, in the build up to her sacrifice, which kept consumption at a steady level.” He added: “Both substances were controlled, were considered elite products, and held ritual significance for the Inca.”

The paper’s co-author and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence, Johan Reinhard, said: “With their extraordinary preservation, these children have yielded more information about the past than we could have hoped, thanks to advances in technology. I believe they have much more to tell us and it’s difficult to imagine anything, however rare, that can compare with the uniqueness and complexity of information provided by a frozen mummy.” — B.D. 

Scientists from the University of Bradford (Bradford, UK) have utilized liquid chromatography?tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) to gain further insight into the child sacrifice practices of the Inca people.1 Their findings indicate the use of alcohol and cocaine (COC) as a method of victim sedation.

LC–MS–MS Yields Information About Imperial Inca Child Sacrifice Practices

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