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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The goal of the current work was to assess the nutritional profile and phytochemical
properties of cucurbit (Cucurbita maxima L.) seeds, seed oils and oil extraction by-products (e.g.,
seed-cakes). Our results suggest a high nutritional value for both cucurbit seeds and cucurbit cake,
while γ-tocopherol was the richest compound, with traces of α, β and δ-tocopherol compounds
also detected. Regarding the free sugars composition, there were recorded significant statistical
differences between seeds and cucurbit seed-cake, although sucrose content was the highest for both
matrices (1.97 and 2.9 g/100 g dw, respectively) followed by trehalose (0.26 and 0.25 g/100 g dw,
respectively), fructose (0.20 and 0.34 g/100 g dw, respectively) and glucose (0.21 and 0.19 g/100 g
dw, respectively). In terms of organic acids, oxalic was the only compound detected in seed cake
(0.006 g/100 g dw), while in seeds only traces of oxalic and malic acid were detected. In relation to
fatty acid composition, linolenic acid was the most abundant compound in both seeds and seed-cake
(43.9% and 41.5%, respectively), while oleic acid (37.0% and 36.3%, respectively), palmitic acid (12.2%
and 14.0%, respectively) and stearic acid (4.83% and 5.46%, respectively) were detected in lesser
amounts. Moreover, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were the major fatty acids class (44.5% and
42.3% in seeds and seed cake, respectively) compared to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA; 37.4%
and 36.7% in seeds and seed cake, respectively) and saturated fatty acids (SFA; 18.1% and 21.0% in
seeds and seed cake, respectively) which were detected in lower amounts. Furthermore, the tested
extracts did not present any cytotoxic or hepatoxic activity at the maximum tested concentration
(GI50 > 400 μg/mL), while seed oils presented satisfactory antimicrobial properties with inhibitory
activity against the studied bacterial strains and fungi. Our findings provide valuable knowledge
regarding the exploitation of pumpkin seeds and seed by-products as valuable natural sources of
nutrients and phytochemicals in the food industry sector within the context of a circular economy.
Description
Keywords
Cucurbita maxima L. Seed oils Proximate composition Seed cakes Bioactive properties Fatty acids composition
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Polyzos, Nikolaos; Fernandes, Ângela; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Petrović, Jovana; Soković, Marina; Ferreira, Isabel C. F. R.; Barros, Lillian; Petropoulos, Spyridon A. (2024). Biochemical Composition of Pumpkin Seeds and Seed By-Products. Plants. ISSN 2223-7747. 13:17, p. 1-14
Publisher
MDPI