VARIETIES OF MELON
A typical summer fruit, melon is available on the market from May through September.
In addition to its high water content, which makes it an excellent thirst quencher, melon also contains a high percentage of mineral salts and vitamins A and C.
The different varieties are divided into netted, smooth and yellowish melons based on the shape and color of the rind.
The "Long Life" variety has recently become popular.
The most commonly cultivated varieties in Italy are:

Traditional netted melon: Supermarket, Creso, Proteo and Elton

Long Life netted melon: Mundial, Geanun and Dalton

Smooth round melon: Tamaris and Charentais

Yellowish melon: Amarillo

THE MELON CALENDAR

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Harvest period

Market presence

MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Appearance
Clean, healthy fruit with no residue.

Colour
Pulp: bright orange or salmon orange

Shape
Oval or round, with clearly pronounced grooves and netting. Some varieties have no grooves or netting

Flavor and texture
Firm pulp consistency, fragrant and with a good sugar content.

Refraction index
Start of campaign: >=10
Middle of campaign: >=12

Sale period
5^th March through 20^th September

Storage
The product may be stored for no more than two days after arriving at the warehouse, at a temperature of 8-10 °C.

Handling
Melon is fairly resistant to handling and can be sold in stacked layers.

Things to avoid
Brisk temperature changes should be avoided.
Melon is especially sensitive to low temperatures, between 0 and 3 °C.

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