Plant Source Foods
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy in Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Pumpkin belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, genus Cucurbita. It is found in tropical and subtropical countries, with its three varieties being Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata, and Cucurbita pepo (146). Pumpkin fruit is composed of pulp and seeds. Pumpkin pulp contains polysaccharides, carotenoids, amino acids, active proteins, and minerals. Pumpkin fruit and seeds are high in lipids and proteins, and they are a good source of potassium, copper, manganese phosphorus, and magnesium (146). Pumpkins are rich in macro- and micronutrients and antioxidants that promote immunity against cancer and other diseases (146). Pumpkins are consumed in various ways, whether fresh, canned, frozen, or dried. Preservation of pumpkin by drying is an important way to prevent postharvest losses. Pumpkin fruit can be processed into flour which has a longer shelf-life, highly desirable sweet flavor, and deep yellow-orange color. Pumpkin flour contains high levels of carbohydrates, starch, dietary fiber, protein, and low levels of lipids and crude fiber, and is an ideal food for diabetes patients, cardiovascular disease patients, and the elderly (146). Many countries, such as India, China, Brazil, Argentina have been using different species of this fruit as a medicine. The various health benefits of pumpkin include antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic, and possible anti-fatigue effects (146). Pumpkin may protect eye health and lower blood cholesterol.
Effects of Food Processing, Storage, and Cooking on Nutrients in Plant-Based Foods
Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat in Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
The main carotenoids found in human tissues are beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene. Carotenes are characterized by possessing long carbon chains with unsaturated double bonds that are responsible for providing color. Beta-carotene is naturally orange in color and is one of the most common precursors of vitamin A. Alpha-carotene is found in orange vegetables (pumpkins, carrots, and squash). Alpha-carotene has one fewer double bond than beta-carotene, which makes it paler in color than beta-carotene, and lycopene has one more, thus responsible for its intense red color. Lycopene is found in tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, and papaya. Xanthophylls are derivatives or carotenes containing oxygen, which are naturally yellow orange in color. Xanthophylls are found in leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and Swiss chard (Figures 2.4–2.6).
Antioxidant Agents from Green Leafy Vegetables: A Review
Megh R. Goyal, Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Ademola Olabode Ayeleso, T. Jesse Joel, Sujogya Kumar Panda in The Therapeutic Properties of Medicinal Plants, 2019
Telfairia occidentalis (fluted pumpkin) belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. Once harvested, the leaves are cautiously detached from the stems because the stems are regarded as poisonous and are thus thrown away as waste [31]. Fluted pumpkins occur chiefly in the forest zones of Central and West Africa, mostly in Cameroun, Republic of Benin and Nigeria. The leaves of this plant are widely consumed due to its acknowledged nutritional and medicinal benefits. In Nigeria, it is called by various traditional names such as ‘Ugu’ in Igbo, ‘Aporoko/Iroko’ in Yoruba, ‘Ubong’ in Efik and ‘Umeke’ in Edo language [51, 67].
Encapsulation of bioactive compounds extracted from Cucurbita moschata pumpkin waste: the multi-objective optimisation study
Published in Journal of Microencapsulation, 2022
Slađana Stajčić, Pezo Lato, Jasna Čanadanović-Brunet, Gordana Ćetković, Anamarija Mandić, Vesna Tumbas Šaponjac, Jelena Vulić, Vanja Šeregelj, Jovana Petrović
Pumpkin is one of the vegetables used in healthy diets as well as for medicinal purposes in many countries (Caili et al. 2006; Zdunić et al. 2016). There are about 20 species which belong to the pumpkin (Cucurbita) genus of the Cucurbitaceae family (Kulczyński and Gramza-Michałowska 2019). Three of these species, Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbita maxima Duchesne, and Cucurbita moschata Duchesne are economically important and cultivated worldwide with high production yield (Caili et al. 2006). However, less attention has been paid to Cucurbita moschata Duchesne, in spite of its great nutritional value (Jacobo-Valenzuela et al. 2011).
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