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Developed by scientists at the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), the watermelon variety claims to contain 50 percent less sugar than many conventional varieties.
According to ARS plant geneticist Angela Davis, who was the chief breeder for the new variety, many of the nation's 20 million diabetic sufferers currently have to refrain from eating the popular fruit because of its high sugar content.
However, the fruit was not always so sweet, said Davis, who works at the ARS South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Oklahoma.
"Over the decades, breeders have increasingly selected for sweeter and sweeter fruit. In fact, heirloom watermelons that might have rolled out of Granddad's garden contained about 25 percent less sugar than their contemporary cousins," said ARS.
However, due to the tendency of richly-pigmented watermelons to contain higher levels of sugar, the breeders were unsure as to whether they would be able to achieve a low-sugar, red-fleshed melon.
Davis screened hundreds of watermelons before discovering one with golden flesh and low sugar. It provides the genetic foundation for the current lines, which are red.
ARS said it is currently sharing the new watermelon stock with interested growers. The official debut of the fruit will depend upon farmers' receptiveness, but the agency says it expects the seeded watermelons could start showing up in produce aisles by the end of the summer.
The new variety, like all watermelons, claim to be a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant associated with a lower incidence of some cancers, as well as being rich in vitamin A and potassium.
Together with the low-sugar variety, Davis is also introducing a middle-of-the-road variety, with less sugar than conventional varieties but which claims to be good for consumers who still desire a level of natural sweetness.
