Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BOTANY
Cucumis sativus L. is an annual herb from the Curcubitaceae family, commonly know as cucumber.
This annual plant can reach 1-4 m and has a canopy of large green leaves over the fruits. Leaves are
single, alternate rough and petiolate. Fruits grow on lateral sprouts that emerge from the leaves axils.
Since this plant bears tendrils, it may grow either creeping or climbing a trellis. The thick and thorny
stems have nodes, each bearing a tendril and a leaf.
The fruit, cucumber, is a vegetable with a dark green or yellowish peel (depending on the cultivar)
cylindrical and elongated shape and about 30 cm long. The pulp is white and watery, with small flat
seeds all along the fruit.
CHEMISTRY
Carbohydrates
Mono and oligosaccharides
Main sugars in food vegetables are glucose and fructose (0.3-4%) as well as saccharose (0.1-
12%). Small amounts of other sugars can also be found (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997).
Polysaccharides
Starch is widely spread in vegetables as a reserve carbohydrate. Other polysaccharides found in
vegetables are cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997).
Organic acids
The main acids in vegetables are citric and malic acids (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997).
Phenol compounds
P-hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, flavones and flavonols are widely spread compounds in
vegetables (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997).
Vitamins
Cucumber is a vegetable rich in vitamin C and vitamin B (Musmade & Desai, 1998).
Table 1 summarizes the vitamin content in cucumber:
Minerals
Table 2 shows the mineral content in cucumber. Potassium is by far, the most abundant component in
this fraction, followed by calcium, sodium and magnesium. The most important anions are phosphate,
chlorine and carbonate (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997).
Content
Minerals (mg/100 g fresh tissue)
K 141
Na 8.5
Ca 15
Mg 8
Fe 0.5
Mn 0.2
Cu 0.1
Zn 0.2
P 23
Cl 37
F 0.02
I 0.003
Table 2. Minerals in cucumber (mg/100 g fresh
tissue). (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997)
Aromatic substances
The following aldehydes are essential components of cucumber aroma: trans-2,cis-6-nonadienal and
trans-2-nonenal. Linoleic and linolenic acids are precursors to these and some other aldehydes (cis-3-
hexenal, trans-2-hexenal, trans-2-nonenal) (Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W., 1997).
These aromatic substances are the main cause of the astringent flavor of cucumber (Musmade & Desai,
1998).
Bitter principles
Cucumber has a characteristic bitter principle called cucurbitin, which is a tetracyclic triterpene
(Musmade & Desai, 1998).
TRADITIONAL USES
Laboratory and clinical tests provide strong evidence that vitamins, used in
proper amounts, play an important role in skin protection, correction, and
renewal. Laboratory and clinical studies indicate that topically applied vitamins
are beneficial to treat several skin disorders and especially, to prevent delay or
arrest certain age-associated degenerative changes, such as skin dryness and
desquamation. Furthermore, the nature of vitamins has prompted their use in
creams and lotions to maintain a soft and smooth skin by replenishing natures
moisture. They are functional, penetrate the skin and are safe (Idson, B., 1993).
Thus, cucumber extract is recommended to formulate cosmetic products with moisturizing, refreshing
and soothing actions, including hair care.
Antioxidant activity
Phenol compounds have antioxidant activity, which mainly depends on their ability to reduce free
radicals and to chelate metals, thus preventing free radicals catalyzing reactions (Lpez Luengo, M.T.,
2002). This activity helps to deal with aging processes.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant with radical scavenging activity very useful in the treatment of
photoaging. Vitamin C has photoprotective properties similar to those of vitamin E. Vitamin C can
neutralize free radicals generated by UVB radiation. In a study carried out with pigs, a vitamin C 10%
pretreatment was found to reduce UVB-induced erythema and skin burns. Ascorbate may also have
similar protective effects on UVA radiation, since in a further study it reduced UVA-induced skin burns in
psoralen-sensitized pigs. Other experimental models using human skin demonstrated similar effects for
ascorbate as well as for the combination of ascorbate and vitamin E (Chiu, A. & Kimball, AB., 2003).
Considering these two compounds it can be said that cucumber helps also to maintain hair color,
avoiding its fading as a result of a fast oxidative process.
Therefore, cucumber extract is recommended to formulate cosmetic products aimed at the protection of
skin and hair integrity against oxidative processes.
In terms of beauty and functionality, current studies indicate that certain vitamins
and their derivatives enhance the performance of cosmetics and toiletries.
Furthermore, laboratory and clinical tests provide strong evidence that these
vitamins, used in proper amounts, play an important role in the protection,
correction, and renewal processes of skin. Laboratory and clinical studies indicate
that topically applied vitamins are beneficial to treat several skin disorders and
especially to prevent, delay or arrest certain age-associated degenerative changes,
such as skin dryness as well as the formation of wrinkles (Idson, B., 1993).
Thus cucumber extract is recommendable to formulate cosmetic products with stimulating and revitalizing
activity, also for hair care products.
Finally, we would like to mention that the publication Plant preparations used as
ingredients of cosmetics products. Vol.I (Council of Europe Press, 1994) includes
a monograph on the fresh juice extracted from Cucumis sativus L. fruits, where
the following cosmetic effects are attributed to it:
COSMETIC APPLICATIONS
RECOMMENDED DOSE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Belitz, HD. & Grosch, W. Qumica de los Alimentos. Zaragoza: Ed.Acribia S.A, 1997,p: 825-860 (613
BEL).
Chiu, A. & Kimball AB. Topical vitamins, minerals and botanical ingredients as modulators of
environmental and chronological skin damage. Br J Dermatol., 2003; 149: 681-691.
Council of Europe. Plants preparations used as ingredients of cosmetic products. Strasbourg Cedex:
Council of Europe Publishing, 1994; p: 136-137 (61*8 PAT).
Idson, B. Vitamins and the Skin. Cosmetics & Toiletries, 1993; 108:(12): 79-94 (ref. 1202).
Lpez Luengo, M.T. Flavonoides. OFFARM, 2002; 21 (4): 108-114.
Musmade & Desai. Cucumber and Melon. In Handbook of Vegetable Science and Technology.
Production, Composition, Storage, and Processing. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1998; p: 245-272
(ref. 641* SAL).
Yu, RJ & Van Scott, EJ. Hydroxycarboxylic acids, N-acetylamino sugars, and N-acetylamino acids.
Skinmed., 2002; 1 (2): 117-22.