“西瓜越來越甜是打了甜蜜素”“無籽西瓜是轉基因水果”……

初夏時節，西瓜上市，一些所謂的“安全提醒”也準時返場。這些年年翻炒的說法是真的嗎？

As watermelons hit the market, old rumors return: "Sweeter means injected with sweetener", and "Seedless means GMO". None of it is true.

記者調查發現，消費者感受到西瓜更甜了，是品種持續優化與栽培技術提升共同作用下的結果。西北農林科技大學園藝學院研究員、陜西省西甜瓜產業技術體系首席專家馬建祥說：“相比老品種，現在西瓜中心糖度一般可以達到13%，個別品種可以達到14%，甚至15%，吃起來自然會更甜。用針頭向西瓜注射溶液，哪怕是注水，果實都會很快腐爛。”

Why do watermelons taste sweeter every year? Better breeding and farming techniques, not additives. According to Ma Jianxiang, a melon expert at Northwest A&F University, sugar content now reaches 13–15 percent — far higher than older varieties. Injecting anything, even water, would cause the fruit to rot quickly.

至于無籽西瓜，它的誕生依靠染色體工程，與轉基因無關。馬建祥介紹，一般的西瓜都是二倍體，即含有兩組正常的染色體，而無籽西瓜的培育路徑，需要先用秋水仙素處理普通二倍體西瓜，獲得染色體加倍的“四倍體”后，用四倍體西瓜和二倍體西瓜雜交培育出三倍體品種。這種西瓜染色體配對紊亂，結不出正常種子，就長成了無籽瓜。

Seedless watermelons are not GMO. They are produced through chromosome engineering. Normal watermelons are diploid (two chromosome sets). Scientists create tetraploid plants (four sets) using colchicine, then cross them with diploids to get triploid hybrids. These cannot produce normal seeds — hence seedless.

此外，“西瓜與桃子同食致命”“隔夜西瓜一口不能吃”等說法也被專家證偽。馬建祥指出，食物相克論缺乏科學依據，適量食用即可；西瓜及時冷藏保鮮、切前洗凈瓜皮和刀具就好，不必因此恐慌。

Claims that "eating watermelon and peaches together is lethal" or that "overnight watermelon is unsafe to eat" have also been dismissed by experts. Ma stressed that the concept of “food incompatibility” lacks scientific basis — moderation is key. For leftovers, refrigerate promptly, wash the rind and knife before cutting, and there’s no need for panic.

lethal /?li?θ(?)l/ adj. 致命的，致死的

西瓜原產于非洲。科學家通過基因測序發現，古埃及種植的西瓜果肉發白，主要用來取籽或儲水，經過數千年的馴化與雜交，才從苦澀的“水罐”變成今天紅瓤蜜甜的消暑佳品。

如何挑選西瓜？

記住這“三要點”

一聽：不同成熟度的西瓜果肉硬度不同，可通過手拍西瓜聽聲音來判斷成熟度。成熟的西瓜果肉中纖維分解會使其硬度下降，拍打時振動頻率較低，聲音聽起來類似打鼓，略有震感；過熟的西瓜聲音會更加沉悶；未成熟的西瓜果肉硬度較高，拍打時振動頻率高，聲音更加清脆。

Tap the fruit. A ripe watermelon has softer flesh due to fiber breakdown, producing a lower-frequency, drum-like sound with slight vibration. Overripe melons sound dull; underripe ones produce a higher-pitched, crisper tap.

二看：紋路清晰、顏色較深，且紋路之間間距較寬，形狀飽滿的西瓜品質更好。藤蔓也是判斷西瓜品質的重要特征。藤蔓新鮮說明存放時間較短；藤蔓彎曲表明西瓜成熟，藤蔓筆直則可能未成熟。另外，成熟的西瓜瓜臍和瓜蒂周圍是微微凹陷的。

Look for clear, dark stripes with wide spacing between them — a sign of good quality. A fresh, green stem indicates recent harvest. A curved stem suggests ripeness, while a straight one may mean the fruit is underripe. Also, slightly sunken belly button and stem ends are typical of ripe melons.

三摸：成熟的西瓜表面絨毛會脫落，果皮更加光滑圓潤。如果果皮柔軟塌陷，表明內部可能已經變質，建議不要購買。

Ripe melons lose their surface fuzz and feel smooth and round. If the rind feels soft or sunken, the inside may already be spoiling — avoid buying it.

怎樣安全吃瓜？

雙語君為大家送上一些衛生小Tips，助你在夏天安全吃瓜。

? 對于完整的西瓜，食用前用冷水清洗，去除泥土和殘留，再用干凈的布或紙巾擦拭干凈。

For whole watermelons, run cold water over watermelon. Wipe the outside to remove any dirt or residue and pat with a clean, dry towel or paper towels.

? 對于市面上預切的或包裝好的西瓜，選擇冷藏或置于冰塊中的產品。

When buying pre-cut or packaged watermelon, choose only those refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

? 切瓜時，用專用切水果的干凈的刀和砧板，尤其不能用切過生肉的刀直接切西瓜。

Cut watermelons with clean knives.

? 常溫儲存勿超3小時。高溫環境下，無論是否貼保鮮膜，6小時左右就會滋生大量細菌，3小時以內細菌滋生量少，最好現切現吃。

Don't let watermelon pieces sit out at room temperature for longer than three hours.

? 包上保鮮膜：保鮮膜能夠把西瓜和冰箱中的其他食物隔離開，避免二次污染，并 及時放冰箱。

For cut watermelons, wrap tightly in plastic, or in an airtight container and refrigerate.

? 別隔天：西瓜在冰箱里的冷藏時間，最好不要超過12小時，最長不要超過24小時。

To be eaten within 24 hours (the sooner you eat it, the better!)

? 不讓冰箱成為細菌的“天堂”，將冷藏室進行分區，生熟食物分開存放。最好能一個月清洗一次冰箱。

Keep fresh produce separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood products.

最后，更推薦大家買小一點的瓜，盡量一次吃完哦！

來源：新華社微信公眾號綜合成都發布等

跟著China Daily

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