| |

Received: 6 November 2020    Revised: 1 March 2021    Accepted: 31 March 2021

DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.15542

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Determination of total phenolic, flavonoid, carotenoid,

and mineral contents in peel, flesh, and seeds of pumpkin
(Cucurbita maxima)

Ashiq Hussain1  | Tusneem Kausar1 | Ahmad Din2 | Anjum Murtaza1 |

Muhammad Abdullah Jamil1 | Saima Noreen1 | Hafeez ur Rehman1 | Hassan Shabbir1 |
Muhammad Asad Ramzan1

1
Institute of Food Science and Nutrition,
University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Abstract
2
National Institute of Food Science and Pumpkin is an important vegetable, which has potential to be used as medicinal and
Technology, University of Agriculture
functional food. Not only the pulp but also the peel and seeds of pumpkin are good
Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
sources of phytochemicals and minerals. Pumpkin peel, flesh, and seeds were dried to
Correspondence
obtain powders, and 80% of methanolic extracts were prepared for further analyses.
Ashiq Hussain, Institute of Food Science and
Nutrition, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Among three fractions of pumpkin, higher content of total phenolics (224.61 ± 1.60-­
Pakistan.
mg GAE/100-­g powder) and total flavonoids (139.37 ± 1.07-­mg CE/100-­g powder)
Email: ashiqft@gmail.com
were recorded in pumpkin seeds as compared with peel and flesh, whereas higher
carotenoids (35.2 ± 0.49 mg/100-­g powder) and β-­carotene (6.18 ± 0.04 mg/100-­g
powder) were present in pumpkin flesh extract, when compared with peel and seeds.
Pumpkin flesh, as compared with peel and seeds, contained higher values of Na, K,
and Fe (17.87 ± 0.22, 1592 ± 20.3, and 41.50 ± 0.45 mg/100-­g powder, respectively).
Valuable amount of Zn (15.21  ±  0.07  mg/100-­g powder) was present in pumpkin
seeds powder.
Practical applications
Pumpkin parts (peel, flesh, and seeds) own high nutritional significance due to the
presence of total phenolics, flavonoids, total carotenoids, and appreciable amount
of macroelements and microelements. Organic waste generated as a result of pump-
kin processing could effectively be utilized in different food products for the devel-
opment of functional and medicinal foods. Notably, pumpkin seeds are high in zinc
content, and in this situation of COVID-­19 pandemic, scientific community is well
aware of oxidation and mediating role of zinc for activation of enzymes in the body.
Phytochemicals present in pumpkin peel, flesh, and seeds can fight against antiaging
and enhance immunity. These low-­cost powders from pumpkin parts can be used
as a potential source of functional foods and nutraceuticals in food and medicinal
industries.

J Food Process Preserv. 2021;00:e15542. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfpp |

© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.     1 of 8
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.15542
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1 |  I NTRO D U C TI O N agents, which inhibit the growth of diseases causing microbes (Badr et al.,
2011). Kvapil et al. (2020) concluded from their research that osmotic de-
Fruits and vegetables are consumed worldwide in fresh as well as hydration and proper packaging improved the quality of dried pumpkin.
processed forms. Consumption of fruits and vegetables in both For the development of nutraceuticals and value-­added food products,
fresh and processed forms produces large quantities of waste incorporation of pumpkin has gained great interest due to its antidiabetic
streams in the form of peels, seeds, and leaves. Handling of large and anticarcinogenic activities. Pumpkin fruit could be consumed as a
quantity waste produced by agriculture industry has always been source of different bio-­actives promoting human health (Dar et al., 2017).
a matter of concern for industrialists. There is a need of time to Pumpkin fruit is one of the essential food components of the
utilize the agro-­industrial waste to recover bioactive components daily diet as it has strong potential of medicinal therapeutic (Abdel-­
and to process this waste for production of functional food in- Rahman, 2006). Piyalungka et al. (2019) investigated considerable
gredients (Mirabella et al., 2014). Modern researches have proved amount of carotenoid contents in pumpkin as pumpkin is a rich source
that no part of fruits and vegetables is waste, as these parts are of phenolics, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin E, and
excellent sources of phytochemicals. Among fruits and vegeta- β-­carotene), carbohydrates, amino acids, and minerals (potassium, cal-
bles, pumpkin is considered an important vegetable crop due to cium, selenium, magnesium, etc.). Pumpkins contain large amount of
its nutritional and medicinal uses (EI-­A ziz et al., 2011). Pumpkin dietary fiber and very low amount of energy. Pumpkins are considered
is known as a functional vegetable, belonging to Cucurbitaceae excellent source of provitamin A carotenoids that are very helpful in
family that consists of 130 genera and 800 species. The most com- the prevention of vitamin A deficiency (Kim et al., 2012). Jukic et al.
mon species of pumpkin that are grown and used worldwide are (2019) reported that flour obtained from pumpkin seed oil press cake
Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita moschata (Perez can be successfully used as a functional and nutritionally valuable in-
Gutierrez, 2016). Members of Cucurbitaceae family play multi- gredient in food products. Pumpkin when cultivated and processed
functional role in both humans and animals’ lives. Pumpkins have as an oilseed crop produces waste in the form of peel and flesh, and
been traditionally used to cure many diseases and to prepare med- when pumpkin is utilized for cooking, peel and seeds are discarded as
icines. Due to the presence of phytochemicals, pumpkins are used waste material. The present research work was designed to investigate
as nutritional and medicinal food (Ahmad & Khan, 2019). phytochemical and minerals in pumpkin peel, flesh, and seed powders.
Consumption of pumpkin can be seen all over the world and that
is the reason pumpkin is counted among the most consumed veg-
etables in all countries (De Escalada Pla et al., 2020). Pumpkin is a 2 | M ATE R I A L S A N D M E TH O DS
member of genus Cucurbita belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family,
and this genus of pumpkin includes a variety of crops having antiox- 2.1 | Collection of raw materials and chemicals
idant substances and dietary fiber, which affects human health in
positive ways (Armesto et al., 2020). Every part of pumpkin vegeta- Mature pumpkin fruits (C. maxima) (n  =  40) with an average weight of
ble has been related to one or more applications in food and health 5  ± 0.5 kg were collected from the local market of district Sargodha,
(Sharma et al., 2020). Pumpkin is cultivated throughout the world for Pakistan. The specimen was submitted in the Department of Botany,
use as vegetable as well as medicine. It has been used traditionally as University of Sargodha for identification. All chemicals used in this research
medicine in many countries such as China, Argentina, India, Mexico, work were of reagent grade purchased from Sigma-­Aldrich chemicals.
Brazil, and America (Andrade-­Cetto & Heinrich, 2005). Bochnak and
Swieca (2020) reported that pumpkin powder is a good source of
potentially bio-­accessible phenolics and antioxidant capacities. 2.2 | Preparation of pumpkin powders
Pumpkin is a versatile vegetable having identical position among all
vegetables, due to its wide range of treating medical disorders, and this Peel, flesh, and seeds from mature pumpkins were separated care-
special functionality of pumpkin lies in its constituent parts, each pos- fully with the help of knife and were placed in separate stainless-­
sessing outstanding phytochemicals applicable in the treatment and pre- steel containers were firstly sundried and then dried in conventional
vention of medical disorders (Sharma et al., 2020). Pumpkin (Cucurbita hot-­air oven (BIOBASE HAS-­T105 China) at 60°C till constant
maxima) contains phenolic compounds, carotenoids and terpenoids, weight, and grinding of dried parts with a grinder until fine pow-
which are responsible for antioxidant activities (Attarde et al., 2010). der was prepared was done as described by Pongjanta et al. (2006).
Pumpkin is an excellent source of phytochemicals including nutraceuti- Resulting final powders were stored at room temperature in polyeth-
cals and polyphenols, which act as anticancer agents (Perez Gutierrez, ylene bags, as depicted in Figure 1.
2016). Pumpkin extracts could be used as an alternative of medicines
to overcome obesity in a long-­term weight management (Ghahremanloo
et al., 2017). Pumpkin fruit possessed antidiabetic activity that was eval- 2.3 | Preparation of pumpkin extracts
uated for hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects (Asgary et al., 2011).
Extracts of pumpkin were tested for antimicrobial activities, and results Extracts of three types of pumpkin powders were prepared by following
were found positive, which proved that pumpkin contains antimicrobial the procedure given by Asif et al. (2017). According to these guidelines,
HUSSAIN et al. |
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F I G U R E 1   Flow line for powders and extracts of peel, flesh, and seeds (adapted from: Asif et al. 2017; Pongjanta et al. 2006)

20 g of each sample powder was soaked in 200 ml of 80% methanol, 5% NaNO2 was mixed to it. Five minutes later, I added 0.15 ml of 10%
and continuous stirring was done at 200 rpm in orbital shaker for a AlCl3 in it, and the mixture was allowed to stand for another 5 min.
time period of 120 hr at ambient temperature, and then, filtration of Then, after 1 min, 1-­ml, 1-­N NaOH was added, and with the help of
these mixtures was carried out with the help of a Whatman filter paper. double distilled water, total volume was made up to 10 ml. Then, ho-
Concentration of these filtrates was done through vacuum rotary evap- mogenous mixing of solution was done and kept for 15 min before
orator at 45°C. Five milliliters of each extract after concentration was measuring the absorbance at 510 nm against a prepared blank rea-
stored for further analysis at 4°C temperature, as shown in Figure 1. gent. Total flavonoid contents were expressed as milligram of catechin
equivalents (CE) in 100 g of pumpkin (peel, pulp, and seeds) powders.
Samples were analyzed in triplicates, and mean values were calculated.
2.4 | Determination of total phenolic contents

Total phenolic contents of the pumpkin powder samples were as- 2.6 | Determination of total carotenoid contents in
sessed using the Folin–­Ciocalteu reagent as carried out by Shen et al. pumpkin extracts
(2009) with slight modification. Pumpkin parts’ raw extracts were di-
luted with 0.5-­ml, 0.5-­N Folin–­Ciocalteu reagent at ambient tempera- Total carotenoid contents in the pumpkin powder’s samples were
ture and added NaCO3 (75 g/L) to make the medium alkaline of the spectrophotometrically determined by following procedure described
oxidation–­reduction reaction between the phenolic compounds and by De Carvalho et al. (2011) with some modifications. Pumpkin parts
the Folin reagent. These extracts were then kept at 23°C for a time powders, 25 g each, were poured into 80 ml of acetone/n-­hexane (1:1,
period of 2  h before measuring absorbance at 760  nm on spectro- vol/vol) and shaken well. Organic phase was released through separa-
photometer (Hitachi U-­2001, Hitachi Instruments Inc. Tokyo, Japan). A tion technique. Fifteen milliliters from acetone/n-­hexane (1:1, vol/vol)
calibration curve was prepared using gallic acid solution. Total phenolic was again taken, and aqueous phase extraction was repeatedly carried
contents were measured as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) in mg/100 g out until colorless appearance was achieved. Organic phase dehydra-
of pumpkin powders (peel, pulp, and seeds). Three replicates of ab- tion was carried out with help of anhydrous sodium sulfate. Sample
sorption values were recorded, and the mean was calculated. extracts were read at 450 nm using a spectrophotometer. Values were
determined as mg/100 g of pumpkin powders. All the readings were
taken in triplicate, and mean values were calculated.
2.5 | Determination of total flavonoid contents in
pumpkin extracts
2.7 | Determination of β-­carotene in pumpkin
The method used for total flavonoid contents determination in pump- extracts
kin powders was AlCl3 colorimetric assay as described by Shen et al.
(2009) with slight modification. One milliliter of each pumpkin raw ex- β-­C arotene contents in pumpkin powders samples were determined
tracts and catechin as standard solution was put into 15-­ml conical by adopting the procedure illustrated by De Carvalho et al. (2012). β-­
tubes that had 2 ml of double distilled water; further, 0.15 ml from Carotene was determined using HPLC with UV/Visible photodiode.
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Two hundred and fifty milimeters of reverse-­phase Carbon-­30 col- tissue damaging (Asif et al. 2017). Jarungjitaree and Naradisorn
umn with internal diameter of 4.6 mm was used, and mobile phase (2019) evaluated total phenolic contents in pumpkin peel by using
was 80% methanol and 20% tertiary butyl methyl ether. Flow rate of three types of extraction solvents. Significant different values of
mobile phase was set at 0.8 ml/min, and a sample size of 25 μl (ether total phenolic contents were obtained by each type of solvent and
extract) was injected. Analysis was completed at 30°C with runt- also by using different concentrations of methanol used for ex-
ime of 60  min. All of these analyses were performed in triplicates traction. Total phenolic contents in 95% methanol peel extract were
on each extraction through HPLC-­grade reagents, and mean values found 92.25-­mg GAE/100-­g dry weight, in 95% ethanol peel extract
were calculated. 73.44-­mg GAE/100-­g dry weight and in 95% acetone peel extract
57.41-­mg GAE/100-­g dry weight. Bochnak and Swieca (2020) stud-
ied the effect of drying temperature and sample structure on bio-­
2.8 | Determination mineral contents in pumpkin accessible phenolics present in pumpkin powder, results were found
in range of 4.32 ± 0.39-­ to 11.35 ± 0.92-­mg GAE/g sample, and best
Determination of minerals Na, K, Fe, Ca, and Zn in pumpkin pow- results were recorded from pumpkin powder obtained from slices
ders was performed through a method illustrated in AOAC (2000) dried at 70°C.
with slight modification. Briefly, pumpkin (peel, flesh, and seeds) Much higher values were obtained when Wanna (2019) deter-
powder samples (1 g each) were digested with mixture of perchlo- mined total phenolic contents in peel and flesh of some selected
ric acid and 10-­ml nitric acid at temperature range of 180°C–­200°C vegetables by using the Folin–­Ciocalteau reagent and found total
until it turned transparent. Then, dilution of this digested matter up phenolic contents in pumpkin peel 110.45 ±  22.49-­mg GAE/g and
to 100 ml was done through double distilled water. These diluted in flesh 116.66 ± 7.78-­mg GAE/g. These results supported our re-
samples were run through atomic absorption spectrophotometer for search work by confirming that pumpkin flesh contains more total
measuring mineral contents concentration using air acetylene flame. phenolic contents than peel.
Trials were conducted in triplicate, and mean values were calculated. Comparatively lesser values were found when Asif et al. (2017)
conducted research to investigate total phenolic contents of 65%,
80%, and 99.9% methanolic extracts of pumpkin peel and puree and
3 |  R E S U LT S A N D D I S CU S S I O N values of total phenolic contents of 65%, 80%, and 99.9% metha-
nolic extracts of pumpkin puree were 6.78-­, 5.15-­, and 4.31-­mg
3.1 | Total phenolic contents in pumpkin peel, flesh, GAE/100 g, respectively, were significantly higher than total pheno-
and seed powders extracts lic contents of 65%, 80%, and 99.9% methanolic extracts of pumpkin
peel, which were 1.99-­, 1.83-­, and 1.13-­mg GAE/100 g, respectively.
Data of mean values of total phenolic contents of 80% methanolic Ali and Naz (2017) determined total phenolic contents in peel and
extracts of pumpkin peel flesh and seed powders have been pre- pulp of some selected vegetables commonly used in Pakistan. Total
sented in Table 1. Significantly, different values of total phenolic phenolic contents in pumpkin peel and pulp were found to have
contents in each type of extract were obtained. Among three frac- 2.683 ± 0.128 and 1.678 ± 0.162 mg/g, respectively, and this con-
tions of pumpkin, the highest amount of total phenolic contents was tradiction of results with our research work might be due to several
present in pumpkin seeds extract, and the lowest amount of total factors including variety of pumpkin, solvents used for extracts, cli-
phenolic contents was found in pumpkin peel extract. From these matic and cultivation conditions of fruits, and postharvest storage
findings, it was clear that pumpkin seeds are a good source of total of fruits.
phenolic contents and exhibit higher antioxidant potential. Mala and Kurian (2016) made a comparison of total phenols in
Total phenolic contents were measured in gallic acid equivalent pumpkin peel and pulp extracts, and there was no significant dif-
due to its acid stability and good response to the Folin–­Ciocalteu ference in values of total phenols as in pumpkin peel value of total
reagent. Pumpkin flesh and seeds possessed greater total phenolic phenols was 5.19-­mg GAE/g and in pumpkin pulp value was 5.21-­mg
contents, which might be due to that flesh and seeds are basic places GAE/g. Bialek et al. (2016) determined the total phenolic contents
of plant metabolism and production of secondary metabolites. Total of pumpkin seeds flour, and the value was calculated as 17.60-­
phenolic contents are considered to play a defensive role against mg GAE/100-­ml extract. Bahramsoltani et al. (2017) evaluated

TA B L E 1   Total phenolic contents

Total phenolic contents Total flavonoid contents
and total flavonoid contents in pumpkin
Pumpkin powders (mg GAE/100-­g powder) (mg CE/100-­g powder)
powders
Peel powder 93.40 ± 0.69c 45.0 ± 0.59c
Flesh powder 134.59 ± 1.24b 77.11 ± 0.63b
Seeds powder 224.61 ± 1.60a 139.37 ± 1.07a

Note: Means sharing different letters in a column are statistically significant, and means sharing
same letters in a column are statistically nonsignificant (p > .05).
HUSSAIN et al. |
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phytochemicals of pumpkin fruit peel, and total phenolic contents 3.3 | Total carotenoid contents in pumpkin extracts
were calculated as 22.92-­mg GAE/g. Different solvents used for
extraction of same plant material give different values of phenolic Data of total carotenoids contents of 80% methanolic extracts
compounds under the same extraction time and temperature, which of pumpkin peel flesh and seeds powder have been presented in
is probably due to polarity of solvent and composition of the sample Table 2. Significantly, different values of total carotenoids contents
to be extracted as some nonvolatile compounds are also extracted in each type of extract were obtained. Among three fractions, the
when water percentage is increased in other polar solvents (Do et al., highest amount of total carotenoids contents was present in pump-
2014). kin flesh extract; the lowest amount of total carotenoids contents
was found in pumpkin seeds extract; and in pumpkin peel extract,
total carotenoids contents were also present in noticeable amount.
3.2 | Total flavonoid contents in pumpkin extracts Pumpkin is an excellent source of carotenoids specially flesh and
peel of pumpkin. The yellow to orange color of pumpkin peel and
Data of total flavonoids contents of 80% methanolic extracts of flesh is due to carotenoids. High carotenoids contents are present in
pumpkin peel, flesh, and seed powders have been presented in varieties showing more yellow color (Zhou et al., 2007). Carotenoids
Table 1. Significantly, different values of total flavonoids contents are considered a major source of vitamin A, which plays a crucial role
in each type of extract were obtained. The highest amount of total in human body by promoting eyesight, immune system, reproductive
flavonoids contents was present in pumpkin seeds extract, the low- system, growth, and development, whereas deficiency of this vita-
est amount of total flavonoids contents was found in pumpkin peel min is a common cause of infant mortality and blindness (Evangelina
extract, and in pumpkin flesh extract, total flavonoids contents were et al., 2001; Murkovic et al., 2002).
also present in considerable amount of powder. Piyalungka et al. (2019) reported that ultrasound-­assisted os-
Phenolic and flavonoids are well-­recognized active components motic pretreatment of pumpkin enhanced approximately 70%
of plants, which a play medicinal role in human bodies. Pumpkin of carotenoid retention in fried chips. In fresh pumpkin without
seeds and flesh possessed more total flavonoid contents, which any treatment, carotenoid contents were found in the range of
might be due to more metabolism in these parts of the plants re- 79.01 ± 0.42 to 224.20 ± 0.28 µg/g fresh pumpkin at different tem-
sulting in more production of metabolites. Although total flavonoids peratures, whereas in fresh pumpkin with ultrasound-­assisted os-
contents in pumpkin are less than total phenolic contents, even small motic pretreatment, carotenoid contents were found in the range
concentrations of total flavonoid contents possess strong antioxida- of 94.98 ± 0.160 to 242.01 ± 0.16 µg/g fresh pumpkin. Gurung et al.
tion potential (Asif et al. 2017). Jarungjitaree and Naradisorn (2019) (2016) determined total carotene contents (mg/100-­g dry matter) of
evaluated total flavonoid contents in pumpkin peel by using three pumpkin puree as 48.57. Jang et al. (2001) determined total carot-
types of extraction solvents. Significantly, different values of total enoid contents in skin, flesh, and fiber of pumpkin in freeze-­dried
flavonoid contents were obtained by each type of solvent and also pumpkin powder, and values were 2.75 mg/100 g, 23.15 mg/100 g,
by using different concentrations of methanol used for extraction. and 43.71  mg/100  g, respectively. Nawirska et al. (2009) dehy-
Jang et al. (2001) determined total flavonoid contents in skin, drated pumpkin slices by using three different methods and deter-
flesh, and fiber of freeze-­dried pumpkin powder, and values were mined total carotenoids contents of pumpkin 80% acetone extracts.
81.5 mg/100-­g powder, 38.7 mg/100-­g powder, and 67.9 mg/100-­g Freeze-­
dried sample results of total carotenoids contents were
powder, respectively. 160 mg/100 g, microwave-­vacuum-­dried sample results of total ca-
Lesser values were found when Singh et al. (2016) extracted rotenoids contents were 130 mg/100 g, and convective-­dried sam-
different parts of Cucurbit fruits with different solvents to deter- ple results of total carotenoids contents were 5 mg/100 g, which
mine their total flavonoid contents. Analysis resulted that total fla- indicates that thermal processing results in loss of total carotenoid
vonoid contents in 70% methanolic extracts of pumpkin peel were contents.
13.81 ± 0.23-­mg QCE/100 g and in 70% ethanolic extract of pump- Wang et al. (2011) used 100% acetone extracts of pumpkin
kin peel were 14.62 ±  0.29-­mg QCE/100  g. Whereas in pumpkin (C. maxima) dried slices by different methods, and there was no
pulp, total flavonoid contents were significantly lesser than in pump-
TA B L E 2   Total carotenoids and β-­carotene in pumpkin peel,
kin peel as total flavonoid contents in 70% pumpkin peel methanolic
flesh, and seed powders
extract 6.90 ± 0.41-­mg QCE/100 g and 70% pumpkin peel ethanolic
extract were 7.73 ± 0.40-­mg QCE/100 g. Similarly, Asif et al. (2017) Total carotenoids β-­carotene
conducted research to investigate total flavonoid contents of 65%, Pumpkin powders (mg/100-­g powder) (mg/100-­g powder)

80%, and 99.9% methanolic extracts of pumpkin peel and puree and Peel powder 23.7 ± 0.19b 4.60 ± 0.05b
values of total flavonoid contents of 65%, 80% and 99.9% methanolic Flesh powder 35.2 ± 0.49a 6.18 ± 0.04a
extracts of pumpkin puree were 0.72-­, 0.65-­, and 0.51-­mg CE/100 g, Seeds powder 8.2 ± 0.05c 0.99 ± 0.02c
respectively, were significantly higher than total flavonoid contents
Note: Means sharing different letters in a column are statistically
of 65%, 80%, and 99.9% methanolic extracts of pumpkin peel, which significant, and means sharing same letters in a column are statistically
were 0.56-­, 0.41-­, and 0.23-­mg CE/100 g, respectively. nonsignificant (p > .05).
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6 of 8       HUSSAIN et al.

TA B L E 3   Mineral contents in pumpkin peel, flesh, and seed powders

Minerals (mg/100-­g powder)

Pumpkin powders Na K Fe Ca Zn

Peel powder 8.96 ± 0.08b 457.7 ± 6.64b 4.05 ± 0.06c 4.58 ± 0.06b 0.25 ± 0.00b

Flesh powder 17.87 ± 0.22a 1592 ± 20.3a 41.50 ± 0.45a 1.49 ± 0.02c 0.46 ± 0.01b
Seeds powder 1.93 ± 0.04c 387.7 ± 3.84c 6.16 ± 0.06b 5.67 ± 0.04a 15.21 ± 0.07a

Note: Means sharing different letters in a column are statistically significant, and means sharing same letters in a column are statistically
nonsignificant (p > .05).

significant difference in hot-­air dried sample of total carotenoids con- minerals were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotom-
tents (67.6  mg/100  g) and freeze-­dried sample of total carotenoids eter. From Table 3, it was clear that amount of Na had significant re-
contents (63.7  mg/100  g). These differences in total carotenoids sults in all three types of pumpkin parts powders and was highest in
contents in different studies possibly may be due to several factors pumpkin flesh powder, lower in pumpkin peel powder, and lowest in
such as genotype, harvesting time, postharvest storage, climatic con- pumpkin seeds powder. Similarly, K had significant results in all three
ditions, and different varieties of pumpkin (Durante et al., 2014). types of pumpkin parts powders and was present in highest amount
in pumpkin flesh powder, lower in pumpkin peel powder, and low-
est in pumpkin seeds. In case of Fe, remarkably, higher amount was
3.4 | β-­Carotene in pumpkin extracts investigated in pumpkin flesh powder as compared with seed and
peel powder, and Zn was present in appreciable amounts in pumpkin
β-­Carotene contents values of 80% methanolic extracts of pumpkin peel seeds powder. On the other hand, Ca had highest amount in seeds
flesh and seed powders have been presented in Table 2. Significantly, powder, lower value in peel powder, and lowest value in flesh with
different values of β-­carotene contents in each type of extracts were significantly different results.
obtained. The highest amount of β-­carotene contents was present in Pumpkin is a good source of important minerals required for
pumpkin flesh extract; the lowest amount of β-­carotene contents was good health. High calcium and potassium contents and low sodium
found in pumpkin seeds extract; and in pumpkin peel extract, β-­carotene contents in pumpkin make it a suitable food for middle-­aged and
contents were found in between flesh and seed powders. aged people as it helps in preventing osteoporosis and hypertension
Kim et al. (2012) made a comparison of the chemical composition (Fan & Li, 2005). Ca, K, P, Zn, Fe, and Mg proportions are very high
and nutritive value of three different types of pumpkins and three parts in mature pumpkin seeds. Mg and Fe are components of chlorophyll,
of each type of pumpkin. Different carotenoids in pumpkin were deter- whereas P and Zn play an active role in metabolizing cells especially
mined, and β-­carotene in pumpkin variety C. maxima peel powder was in energy metabolism activity (Ekpedeme et al., 2000).
12.319  mg/100  g, flesh powder 1.704  mg/100  g, and seed powders Amin et al. (2019) made a comparative study on nutrients com-
3.140 mg/100 g. Pongjanta et al. (2006) developed pumpkin powder to position of different parts of indigenous and hybrid verities of pump-
utilize it in different bakery products and made a comparison of β-­carotene kin (C. maxima) in Bangladesh. Results of different minerals analyses
in fresh pumpkin and pumpkin powder. The amount of β-­carotene in in three different parts of indigenous variety of pumpkin indicated
fresh pumpkin was 2.43 ± 1.14 mg/100 g, and in pumpkin powder, this Na content (mg/100  g) in peel, flesh, and seeds as 9.652, 20.759,
amount of β-­carotene was increased to 7.29 ± 3.82 mg/100 g. Bhat and 1.350, respectively, K contents in pumpkin peel, flesh, and seeds
Bhat (2013) reported β-­carotene contents in fresh pumpkin and pumpkin were 687.464, 1616.394, and 434.414, respectively. Fe contents
powder as 2.44 mg/100 g and 7.30 mg/100 g, respectively. These re- were also significantly different in all three parts of pumpkin with
sults also confirmed that pumpkin is a good source of carotenoids espe- flesh containing highest amount of 42.070 mg/100 g, whereas seeds
cially β-­carotene. Malkanthi et al. (2018) gave higher values of β-­carotene contain lower amount 6.017 mg/100 g and peel containing lowest
contents of pumpkin seeds powder as 5.67 ± 0.04 mg/100-­g powder. value of 4.004  mg/100  g. Ca contents (mg/100  g) in peel, flesh,
Murkovic et al. (2002) determined β-­carotene contents in three types and seeds were 1.360, 0.820, and 4.000, respectively. Zn analysis
of pumpkin fruits, and values were in the range of 1.4–­7.4  mg/100  g showed that seeds contain highest amount of Zn (mg/100  g) with
(C. maxima), 0.06–­2.3 mg/100 g (C. pepo), and from 3.1 to 7.0 mg/100 g a value of 18.777, whereas peel and flesh contain 0.150 and 0.230,
(C. moschata). Apart from β-­carotene, α-­carotene and lutein ranged from respectively.
0 to 7.5 mg/100 g and 0 to 17 mg/100 g, respectively, in pumpkin. El-­Demery (2011) made a comparison of minerals pres-
ent in pumpkin pulp and pumpkin flour and values of Na, K, Ca,
Fe, and P in pumpkin pulp were 0.949, 355.22, 46.35, 0.835, and
3.5 | Minerals analysis in pumpkin powders 44.05 mg/100 g, respectively, whereas in pumpkin flour, Na, K,
Ca, Fe, and P contents were found as 21.50, 5185.11, 616.73,
Mean values of minerals analysis in pumpkin peel, flesh, and seed 14.07, and 817.88  mg/100  g, respectively. Malkanthi et al. (2018)
powders have been presented in Table 3, where five important determined the Fe and Zn contents of pumpkin seeds powder
HUSSAIN et al. |
      7 of 8

as 7.26  ±  0.36  mg/100  g and 6.88  ± 0.11 mg/100 g, respectively. ORCID

Gurung et al. (2016) determined chemical composition of pumpkin Ashiq Hussain  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5239-4641
puree, and values of Fe and Ca (mg/100-­g dry matter) were 5.18
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