Chemical composition and bioactive properties of pumpkin seeds and seed cakes
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resumo
Pumpkin, (Cucurbita pepo L.) is one of the most important vegetables of the Cucurbitaceae family which
is widely used for its edible fleshy fruit, especially fruit pulp. However, other fruit parts such as seeds are
a good source of phytochemical and usually consumed in raw or processed form. ln the present work, the
chemical composition and bioactive properties of pumpkin seeds and seed cakes were evaluated. Plants
from local landrace ''Nychaki" were cultivated at the experimental farm of the University of Thessaly
during the summer-autumn growing period of2020 and fruit were collected at marketable maturity. Seeds
were removed from 15 randomly selected after cutting each :fruit at the equatorial axis. Then seeds were
air-dried at room temperature and pressed with a cold-press to obtain the seed oils and seed cakes, while
whole air-dried seeds were ground to fine powder. The ground seeds were rich in fat and proteins (42.7
g/100 g dw and 37.7 g/100 g dw, respectively) while carbohydrates and ash content were 16.1 g/100 dw
and 3.5 g/100 g dw. On the other hand, seed cakes contained a high amount ofprotein (58.6 g/100 g dw)
and carbohydrates (28.4 g/1 00 g dw ). Ground seeds and seed cakes contained ali the four vitamin E
isoforms (a-, p-, y- and S-tocopherols) with y-tocopherol being the most abundant isomer in both samples
(6.59 mg/100 g dw and 1.07 mg/100 g dw, respectively). The main detected free sugar in ground seeds
and seed cakes were sucrose, followed by trehalose, fructose and glucose, while seed cakes contained a
higher amount of sucrose and total free sugars than ground seeds. Regarding the organic acids content,
oxalic acid content was the only detected compound in seed cakes, whereas no organic acids were
detected in ground seeds. The main detected fatty acids were linoleic acid (43.9% and 41.5% in ground
seeds and seed cakes, respectively) and oleie acid (37.0% and 36.3% in ground seeds and seed cakes,
respectively), followed by stearic acid (4.83% and 5.46% in ground seeds and seed cakes, respectively).
Polyunsaturated and unsaturated fatty acids were the main fatty acids class and accounted for 81.9% and
79.0% oftotal fatty acids in ground seeds and seed cakes, respectively. Finally, both materiais showed no
toxic effects against non-tumor PLP2 cell lines indicating that they are safe for human consumption. ln,
conclusion, the presented results highlighted the nutritional value of the tested materiais which could be
considered a rich source of protein. Moreover, the high content in polyunsaturated fatty acids and
tocopherols could be further valorized for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical purposes and increase the
added value of pumpkin crop.
