scholarly journals Nutraceutical and Therapeutic Properties of Edible Super Food: Pumpkin Seeds - A Review

Author(s):  
Shanthi S. ◽  
Bhagyalakshmi N. ◽  
Manjula K R ◽  
Kavitha G. Singh

Pumpkin seeds, despite their small size, are loaded with enough nutrients necessary to protect the human body against various health issues. Pumpkin seeds, also called as “Pepita” can be incorporated easily into the diet. They are good sources of minerals like magnesium, zinc and amino acid tryptophan, which helps to promote good sleep. They also have high tocopherol content, which makes them a rich source of antioxidants. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, diterpenes, saponins, and phenols. High dietary fiber content in these seeds help reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), type 2 diabetes and obesity. Gas chromatographic analysis of the pumpkin seed oil (PSO) showed that the linoleic (39.84%), oleic (38.42%), palmitic (10.68%) and stearic (8.67%) acids were the major fatty acids present in PSO. Studies revealed that PSO can be a valuable source of edible oil due to their high poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content when compared to other vegetable oils. Besides this, bioactive compounds from the pumpkin seeds are known for their anthelmintic, antidiabetic, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, hypolipidemic, immunomodulator, antitumor, and cytoprotective properties. United States Pharmacopoeia had included pumpkin seeds as an official medicine for parasite elimination from 1863 to 1936. Literature studies revealed that pumpkin seeds can be used as a traditional and functional food ingredient provided further animal and clinical investigations are carried out to establish the respective molecular mechanisms. The present paper reviews about the nutraceutical and therapeutic applications of this super food.

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Médici Veronezi ◽  
Neuza Jorge

Purpose – This paper aims to characterize the pumpkin (Cucurbita sp) seed oil from the varieties Nova Caravela, Mini Paulista, Menina Brasileira (Cucurbita moschata) and Moranga de Mesa (Cucurbita maxima) as to their physicochemical properties, vitamins and fatty acid and triacylglycerols profiles. Design/methodology/approach – The oils were extracted from oilseeds by the Bligh and Dyer (1959) method, and chemical characterization was performed by using standard methods for oils and fats. The vitamin A and E content, fatty acid profile and triacylglycerols profile also were determined. Findings – About the chemical properties, the oils showed values within the range for edible vegetable oils. The oil from variety Nova Caravela stood out for presenting better quality, as it showed lower values of free fatty acids, acidity and peroxides. However, it was found that the Moranga de Mesa oil was the most unsaturated, due to the high refractive and iodine index, and was also reported to have lower oxidative stability. Among the unsaturated fatty acids, ranging from 70 to 78 per cent of the total obtained, linoleic and oleic acids stood out, while among the saturated ones, palmitic and stearic did. Practical implications – These seeds are rich in high-quality lipids; therefore, their use could help to reduce the amount of waste produced in the industries, and consequently reduce environmental contamination. This study showed that the seeds could be used as a raw material for oil extraction, and also could be used for developing functional foods instead of being discarded. Originality/value – This study provides valuable information about the quality and fatty acid contents of pumpkin seed oils consumed in Brazil.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-270
Author(s):  
I.M. Boldea ◽  
C. Dragomir ◽  
M.A. Gras ◽  
M. Ropotă

The objective of this research was to assess the effects of including oil-rich feedstuffs in diets for lactating goats on the fatty acid (FA) profile of their milk. Thirty-six Murciano-Granadina goats were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, namely a control diet (CTRL), a diet based on whole rapeseed (RS), and a diet based on pumpkin seed cake (PSC). The diets were composed of 1 kg hay (70 % Italian ryegrass, 30% alfalfa) and 1.24 kg concentrate, and were formulated to be isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. Milk yield and its contents of protein, fat and lactose did not differ significantly among the groups. However, including oil-rich feeds in the diet altered the fatty acid profile of the milk significantly, decreasing its saturated fatty acid (SFA) content and increasing its content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). Effects on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and the n-6 to n-3 ratio depended on the source of dietary lipids. The PSC augmented diet increased the relative amount of PUFAs and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in milk (+25 %) significantly In comparison with CTRL, whereas the RS diet produced a limited and statistically insignificant increase (+7.5%). The concentration of CLA was higher in milk from does fed the PSC diet, whereas the n-6 to n-3 ratio was lower in milk from does fed RS. These preliminary results form the basis for developing premium dairy products that are enriched in fatty acids that are more favourable for human health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyao Peng ◽  
Dan Lu ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Bo Jiang ◽  
Jingjing Chen

In recent years, with the increasing awareness of health concerns and environment protection needs, there is a growing interest for consumers to choose plant-based food diets compared with those made from animal origin. Pumpkin seed is an excellent dietary source for protein, oil, and some essential micronutrients. Raw pumpkin seed may have a compromised flavor, color, as well as digestibility. Therefore, the objective of present study is to study the influence of roasting (120, 160, and 200°C for 10 min) on the phenolics content, flavonoids content, antioxidant property, fatty acids, and volatile matter composition, as well as protein profile of pumpkin seeds. Our results indicated that, total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids content, as a consequence, total antioxidant capacity increased as the roasting temperature increased. Maillard reaction products and lipid peroxidation products were identified, especially from those pumpkin seeds roasted at high temperature. In the meantime, the composition and content of fatty acids did not change significantly after roasting. The results of electrophoresis and particle size analysis showed that the optimum roasting temperature was 160°C to obtain protein with better nutritional quality. The findings of this study may contribute to the utilization of pumpkin seed component in plant-based diets with increased nutritional quality.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 631
Author(s):  
Massimo Mozzon ◽  
Roberta Foligni ◽  
Cinzia Mannozzi

The consumers’ opinion concerning conventional palm (Elaeis guineensis) oil is negatively affected by environmental and nutritional issues. However, oils extracted from drupes of interspecific hybrids Elaeis oleifera × E. guineensis are getting more and more interest, due to their chemical and nutritional properties. Unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic) are the most abundant constituents (60%–80% of total fatty acids) of hybrid palm oil (HPO) and are mainly acylated in position sn-2 of the glycerol backbone. Carotenes and tocotrienols are the most interesting components of the unsaponifiable matter, even if their amount in crude oils varies greatly. The Codex Committee on Fats and Oils recently provided HPO the “dignity” of codified fat substance for human consumption and defined the physical and chemical parameters for genuine crude oils. However, only few researches have been conducted to date on the functional and technological properties of HPO, thus limiting its utilization in food industry. Recent studies on the nutritional effects of HPO softened the initial enthusiasm about the “tropical equivalent of olive oil”, suggesting that the overconsumption of HPO in the most-consumed processed foods should be carefully monitored.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-59
Author(s):  
Maurizka Sabrina Septia ◽  
Septa Katmawanti ◽  
Supriyadi Supriyadi

In 2013, the obesity rate in Indonesia for people over the age of 18 was 14.8 percent; by 2018, the obesity rate had risen to 21.8% (Riskesdas, 2018a). The significant number of fat people in Indonesia is caused by high sugar consumption and low fiber consumption regularly. One hundred grams of pumpkin seeds contain 6 grams of fiber, 30.23 grams of protein, 7.2 mg/100 zinc, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and phytosterols (Nurhasim, Tamrin, and Wahab, 2017). The purpose of this study is to identify the panelists' level of preference for four formulations of pumpkin seed flour boba using assessment factors such as taste, color, texture, and aroma. The procedural model was used in this research and development. This development study utilizes an opinion-based process (Borg and Gall, 1984), which is then modified based on research needs. Organoleptic testing on boba products without added milk drinks on untrained panelists revealed a significant difference in color and texture parameters. There was no significant difference in panelist acceptability of aroma and taste characteristics. The findings of the untrained panelist's appraisal of boba added to a milk companion drink were then presented, revealing significant changes in the color and texture parameters. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant changes in the aroma and taste indices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 697-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antwi-Boasiako Oteng ◽  
Sander Kersten

ABSTRACT Human studies have established a positive association between the intake of industrial trans fatty acids and the development of cardiovascular diseases, leading several countries to enact laws that restrict the presence of industrial trans fatty acids in food products. However, trans fatty acids cannot be completely eliminated from the human diet since they are also naturally present in meat and dairy products of ruminant animals. Moreover, bans on industrial trans fatty acids have not yet been instituted in all countries. The epidemiological evidence against trans fatty acids by far overshadows mechanistic insights that may explain how trans fatty acids achieve their damaging effects. This review focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the deleterious effects of trans fatty acids by juxtaposing effects of trans fatty acids against those of cis-unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids (SFAs). This review also carefully explores the argument that ruminant trans fatty acids have differential effects from industrial trans fatty acids. Overall, in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate that industrial trans fatty acids promote inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, although to a lesser degree than SFAs, whereas cis-unsaturated fatty acids are protective against ER stress and inflammation. Additionally, industrial trans fatty acids promote fat storage in the liver at the expense of adipose tissue compared with cis-unsaturated fatty acids and SFAs. In cultured hepatocytes and adipocytes, industrial trans fatty acids, but not cis-unsaturated fatty acids or SFAs, stimulate the cholesterol synthesis pathway by activating sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) 2–mediated gene regulation. Interestingly, although industrial and ruminant trans fatty acids show similar effects on human plasma lipoproteins, in preclinical models, only industrial trans fatty acids promote inflammation, ER stress, and cholesterol synthesis. Overall, clearer insight into the molecular mechanisms of action of trans fatty acids may create new therapeutic windows for the treatment of diseases characterized by disrupted lipid metabolism.


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nadeem ◽  
Rahman Ullah ◽  
Muhammad Imran ◽  
Atta Muhammad Arif

This study investigated the effect of fatty acid modification and cholesterol removal on physico-chemical characteristics of yoghurt and ice cream. Fatty acid profile of milk fat was modified by feeding calcium salts of soybean oil fatty acids to cows and cholesterol was removed by b-cyclodextrin. b-cyclodextrin removed 76% and 60% cholesterol from yoghurt and ice cream. Modification of fatty acid composition did not have a significant effect on a-tocopherol content; while b-cyclodextrin treated milk had substantially lower a-tocopherol content. The concentration of a-tocopherol in control and b-cyclodextrin treated yoghurt was 45.62, 32.73 mg/g and 210.34, 185.56 mg/g for ice cream, respectively. Fatty acid modification and cholesterol removal significantly decreased the overrun in ice cream (P<0.05), with no effect on sensory characteristics of yoghurt and ice cream. These results evidenced that milk with higher content of unsaturated fatty acids and low cholesterol can be used in the formulation of yoghurt and ice cream with improved health benefits and suitable sensory features.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Song Meng ◽  
Yu-Han Tang ◽  
Jing Sun ◽  
Da-Qiu Zhao ◽  
Ke-Liang Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Paeonia lactiflora ‘Hangshao’ is widely cultivated in China as a traditional Chinese medicine ‘Radix Paeoniae Alba’. Due to the abundant unsaturated fatty acids in its seed, it can also be regarded as a new oilseed plant. However, the process of the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in it has remained unknown. Therefore, transcriptome analysis is helpful to better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms. Results Five main fatty acids were detected, including stearic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, and their absolute contents first increased and then decreased during seed development. A total of 150,156 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing. There were 15,005 unigenes annotated in the seven functional databases, including NR, NT, GO, KOG, KEGG, Swiss-Prot and InterPro. Based on the KEGG database, 1766 unigenes were annotated in the lipid metabolism. There were 4635, 12,304, and 18,291 DEGs in Group I (60 vs 30 DAF), Group II (90 vs 60 DAF) and Group III (90 vs 30 DAF), respectively. A total of 1480 DEGs were detected in the intersection of the three groups. In 14 KEGG pathways of lipid metabolism, 503 DEGs were found, belonging to 111 enzymes. We screened out 123 DEGs involved in fatty acid biosynthesis (39 DEGs), fatty acid elongation (33 DEGs), biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid (24 DEGs), TAG assembly (17 DEGs) and lipid storage (10 DEGs). Furthermore, qRT-PCR was used to analyze the expression patterns of 16 genes, including BBCP, BC, MCAT, KASIII, KASII, FATA, FATB, KCR, SAD, FAD2, FAD3, FAD7, GPAT, DGAT, OLE and CLO, most of which showed the highest expression at 45 DAF, except for DGAT, OLE and CLO, which showed the highest expression at 75 DAF. Conclusions We predicted that MCAT, KASIII, FATA, SAD, FAD2, FAD3, DGAT and OLE were the key genes in the unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in herbaceous peony seed. This study provides the first comprehensive genomic resources characterizing herbaceous peony seed gene expression at the transcriptional level. These data lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation for herbaceous peony.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 147-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.E. Onibi ◽  
J.R. Scaife ◽  
V.R. Fowler ◽  
I. Murray

Unsaturated fatty acids especially n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are recognised as important components of a healthy human diets and increased intake has been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (BNF, 1992). These fatty acids are susceptible to oxidation and lipid oxidation in meat may adversely affect meat quality and safety. However, tissue α-tocopherol (AT) may reduce oxidative changes. In this study, the effect of increased dietary supply of AT and unsaturated fatty acids on tissue AT content, fatty acid profiles and oxidative stability of pig muscle lipid was assessed.


2020 ◽  
pp. 41-46
Author(s):  
A. Ya. Khleborodov ◽  
I. M. Pochitskaya ◽  
O. S. Provotorova ◽  
P. A. Skripkovich

Relevance and methods. Pumpkin fruits and seeds are valuable raw materials for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Of particular value are pumpkin seeds, from which oil and protein products are obtained. The purpose of our research is to identify the best breeding samples of pumpkin in terms of seed yield and pumpkin oil and to study their biochemical composition. The evaluation of 12 samples of pumpkin was carried out according to the main economic and biological characteristics. Results. According to the yield of seeds and the yield of pumpkin oil, the following samples were distinguished: Delta, Golosemyanno-kustovaya, Line 2-3, Line 2-5. The biochemical composition of seed samples with high seed yields was studied in terms of the content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. A biochemical analysis of pumpkin seed oil for fatty acids, sterols and minerals was carried out. Seeds of hard-barked pumpkin of Belarusian selection are sources of high protein content (34-35%) with a wide range of essential amino acids, fats (43-45.8%), unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, as well as carbohydrates (9.6-11.9%) , a number of vitamins, macro- and microelements.


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