International Journal of Chemical Studies 2018; 6(3): 1154-1157

P-ISSN: 2349–8528
E-ISSN: 2321–4902
IJCS 2018; 6(3): 1154-1157 A review on health benefits and nutritional
© 2018 IJCS
Received: 16-03-2018 composition of pumpkin seeds
Accepted: 18-04-2018

N Manda Devi N Manda Devi, RV Prasad and Nukasani Sagarika

College Food Processing
Technology and Bio-Energy,
Anand Agricultural University, Abstract
Anand, Gujarat, India Pumpkin belongs to the genus Cucurbita and family Cucurbitaceae is grown all around the world for a
variety of reasons. It is used as a food material, animal feed, and for decoration purposes. Though the
RV Prasad flesh of different vegetables have found their way into the Indian diet for time immemorial, the seeds
College Food Processing have almost always been discarded as waste in spite of having a great nutritive value. After harvesting,
Technology and Bio-Energy, the seeds are often used as animal feed, ground up for fertilizer or even discarded in spite of having very
Anand Agricultural University, nutritious and best quality oil and rich source of protein. With increased public awareness in sustainable
Anand, Gujarat, India agriculture, clean and efficient energy and waste management technologies, pumpkin seeds have the
opportunity to capture a new and emerging market share in the snack food industry. The use of these by-
Nukasani Sagarika products adds value to the production, besides contributing to the formulation of new food products and
College Food Processing minimizing losses. So, it gives new opportunity to explore the possibilities for the production
Technology and Bio-Energy,
technologies for the different value added products from pumpkins seeds. This study deals with the
Anand Agricultural University,
review of research work reported on the health and nutritional benefits of pumpkin seeds, whose
Anand, Gujarat, India
application can be considered as a good alternative for the nutritional enrichment of food products and
could be consumed as food, having a rich source of oil and nutrients

Keywords: Pumpkin, Cucurbita, Cucurbitaceace, pumpkin seed, by-products

Introduction
Pumpkin belongs to the genus Cucurbita and family Cucurbitaceae. Pumpkin fruit is one of
the widely grown vegetables incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, and valuable source of
carotenoids which have major role in the form of pro-vitamin A. Carotenoids are the primary
source of vitamin A for most of people living in developing countries. Like other members of
Cucurbitaceae, pumpkin seeds are located at its central hollow cavity; interspersed in between
net like mucilaginous network. Generally, the pumpkin fruit is allowed to mature completely
in order to obtain good-quality seeds. The seed content of pumpkin fruit varies from 3.52 % to
4.27 %. Though the flesh of different vegetables have found their way into the Indian diet for
time immemorial, the seeds have almost always been discarded as waste in spite of having a
great nutritive value. After harvesting, the seeds are often used as animal feed, ground up for
fertilizer or even discarded. In India, seeds go as waste in cattle feed and only little amounts
are eaten after being salted and roasted.
In many developing countries, the supply of animal protein is inadequate to meet the protein
needs of the rapidly growing population. This has necessitated contemporary research efforts
geared towards the study of the food properties and potential utilization of protein from locally
available food crops, especially from underutilized or relatively neglected high protein oilseed
and legumes. Recently increased attention has been given to the utilization of agriculture waste
products to produce food, feed, fertilizer and a raw material in industries, to maximize the
available resources and at the same time to minimize waste disposal problem. Such utilization
could be done economically only in the locations where such resources are available in large
quantity. With increased public awareness in sustainable agriculture, clean and efficient energy
and waste management technologies, pumpkin seeds have the opportunity to capture a new
and emerging market share in the snack food industry. Currently, pumpkin seeds are gaining
Correspondence momentum in the snack food industry as a healthy alternative to other fried snacks. In India,
N Manda Devi during the last decade, the demand for new nutritionally sound and economically viable food
College Food Processing has increased considerably. Consequently, much attention has been given to the use of
Technology and Bio-Energy,
Anand Agricultural University,
vegetable by-products that are not commonly used by the food industry and the population.
Anand, Gujarat, India
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International Journal of Chemical Studies

Keeping the above facts in view, literature regarding the and chewy snack or food additive. Priyanka et al., (2015) [12]
health benefits and nutritional composition of pumpkin seed reported that pumpkin seed are excellent nutrient source filled
have been reviewed extensively and reported hereunder. with minerals mainly zinc, phosphorous, magnesium,
potassium and selenium responsible for fighting diseases and
Health benefits acts as weapon for fighting diseases such as arthritis,
Pumpkin seed, which are generally discarded during inflammation, prostate cancer etc.
processing are very nutritious and provides best quality oil
and excellent source of protein. In addition, they are also a Nutritional Composition of pumpkin seed
good sources of minerals, dietary fibre, health-benefiting Pumpkin seed are known as nutritional powerhouse, as these
vitamins and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are good seeds are excellent nutrient source filled with minerals mainly
for heart health. The unique flavour of pumpkin seeds and zinc, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and selenium
pumpkin seed oil is well known and enjoyed all over the responsible for fighting diseases and acts as weapon for
world and contribute to the development of aromatic flavour fighting diseases such as arthritis, inflammation, prostate
during the roasting process. Due to its high nutritional and cancer etc. They were generally regarded as a waste but now
health protective values and also for pharmacological they can play important role in food by nutritional aspects.
activities such as antidiabetic, antifungal, antibacterial and They can be consumed regularly without causing any side
antiinflammation and antioxidant effects pumpkin seed has effects on human health (Maheshwari, et al., 2015) [8].
increasing considerable attention (Nkosi et al., 2006) [11]. The Pumpkin fruits are variable in size, colour, shape and weight,
high unsaturated fatty acid composition of pumpkin seed oil having moderately hard flesh with a thick edible flesh below
also makes well-suited for improving nutritional benefits of and a central cavity containing the seeds. Like other members
foods (Revathy et al., 2013) [14]. of Cucurbitaceae, each fruit bear numerous seeds, located at
The pumpkin seeds are richly endowed in macro elements its central hollow cavity, interspersed in between net like
(magnesium, phosphorus and calcium) and moderate amounts mucilaginous network. Pumpkin seed are semi-flat, feature
of micro elements (calcium, manganese, copper and zinc) and typical ovoid shape with a conical tip while its kernels are
thus the seed could be used as a valuable food supplement. olive-green color, sweet, buttery in texture and nutty in flavor
Besides, the pumpkin is economical and a nutrient dense which can be enjoyed as snack, added in desserts and in
source, the pumpkin seed flour fortified complementary food savory dishes. Generally, in order to obtain good-quality
mix is economical, with highly acceptable sensory qualities seeds, pumpkin fruit is allowed to mature completely.
and a rich nutritive value. Stevenson (2007) [16] also quoted The nutritional characteristics and composition of pumpkin
that, pumpkin seeds offer a nutritious, sweet, somewhat soft seed is summarised in table 1.

Table 1: Nutritional characteristics and composition of pumpkin seed. (* Nutritional value per 100 g)
Principle Nutrient Value Percentage of RDA Principle Nutrient Value Percentage of RDA
Energy 559 Kcal 28% Electrolytes
Carbohydrates 10.71 g 8% Sodium 7 mg 0.5%
Protein 30.23 g 54% Potassium 809 mg 17%
Total Fat 49.05 g 164% Minerals
Cholesterol 0 mg 0% Calcium 46 mg 4.5%
Dietary Fiber 6g 16% Copper 1.343 mg 149%
Vitamins Iron 8.82 mg 110%
Folates 58 µg 15% Magnesium 592 mg 148%
Niacin 4.987 mg 31% Manganese 4.543 mg 198%
Pantothenic acid 0.750 mg 15% Phosphorus 1233 mg 176%
Pyridoxine 0.143 mg 11% Selenium 9.4 µg 17%
Riboflavin 0.153 mg 12% Zinc 7.81 mg 71%
Thiamin 0.273 mg 23% Phyto-nutrients
Vitamin A 16 IU 0.5% Carotene-ß 9 µg --
Vitamin C 1.9 µg 3% Crypto-xanthin-ß 1 µg --
Vitamin E 35.10 mg 237% Lutein-zeaxanthin 74 µg --
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seeds and kernels contained Achu et al., (2005) [1] showed that cucurbit seeds from
39.25, 27.83, 4.59, 16.84% and 39.22, 43.69, 5.14, 2.13% different regions in Cameroon contained protein content of
crude protein, crude oil, ash, crude fiber respectively. 28-40%, fat 44-53% and carbohydrate 7-10%, showing that
Pumpkin seed kernels contained moderate concentrations of they could be exploited as oil and protein sources.
minerals, especially P, Mg, and K. and methionine and Later in the year, Ardabili et al., 2011 [4] reported that
tryptophan were the most limiting amino acids, while pumpkin seed oil can be a valuable source of edible oil as the
arginine, glutamic, and aspartic acids were the most plentiful seeds contained 41.59% oil and 25.4% protein and moisture,
amino acids. The saturated fatty acid content was 27.73%, crude fiber, total ash, and carbohydrate contents were 5.20%,
comprises 16.41% palmitic acid and 11.14% stearic acid 5.34%, 2.49%, and 25.19%, respectively. The specific gravity
whereas unsaturated fatty acid value was 73.03% and (0.915), dynamic viscosity (93.659 cp), refractive index
consisting mainly of 18.14% oleic acid and 52.69% linoleic (1.4662), and acid value (mg KOH/g oil), peroxide value
acid. Therefore, pumpkin seed kernels can be a quite (meq O2/kg oil), iodine value (g I2/100 g oil), saponification
promising for commercial exploitation because of its high number (mg KOH/ g oil), and unsaponifiable matter content
lipid and protein content in the kernels, and their fatty acid (%) of the extracted oil from pumpkin seeds were 0.78, 0.39,
and amino acid compositions (Alfawaz, 2004) [3]. 10.85, 104.36, 190.69, and 5.73, respectively. Linoleic
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International Journal of Chemical Studies

(39.84%), oleic (38.42%), palmitic (10.68%) and stearic pumpkin seed could be incorporated in foods to increase the
(8.67%) acids were the major fatty acids. nutritional value especially in diets that are deficient in the
All the Cucurbitaceae oilseeds (Cucumeropsis mannii, said nutrients.
Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata, Lagenaria siceraria Asiedu et al., (2014) [5] determined the nutrient composition
and Cucumis sativus) has rich source of most essential amino and protein quality of four species of the Curcubitaceae
acids, giving protein digestibility, corrected amino acid scores family and found that the moisture, crude protein, fat and ash
of 0.67 for C. sativus and 0.48 for C. mannii which was for content of the seeds were 5.44-6.66, 30-36, 44-58 and 3.18-
lysine, indicating that in the absence of tryptophan and 4.90%, respectively. Crude fibre was less than 2.5%. The
methionine, lysine was the limiting amino acid in these seeds Curcubitaceae seeds contained high amounts of Zn (5.0-7.1
and low levels of phenolic compounds (0.34 to 0.43%). mg/100 g), Cu (1.4-7.9 mg/100 g) and Fe (5.6-8.5 mg/100 g).
Defatted C. mannii could be a good for preparing infant All the seeds had good protein quality as judged by the PER
formula, especially when mixed with soybean, in order to (0.75-1.36) and (NPU) (46.10-69.10). They concludes that
increase its lysine content and defatted cakes has high total Curcubitaceae seeds is an important food resources and thus
protein contents and the trichloroacetic acid soluble fraction their consumption should be promoted.
of proteins ranging from 25% (C. maxima from North West) Raphael et al., (2014) [13] determined the Proximate
to 94% of total proteins (C. sativus from Adamawa and South composition of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seeds from
West), due to the postharvest treatment of the seeds (Mercy et Zimbabwe and found that C. pepo seeds were good alternative
al., 2011) [9]. source of food with high nutritional content for instance
Further in the year, Elinge et al., 2012 [6] analyzed the proteins, lipids, fibres, carbohydrates and minerals (Mg, Ca,
nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of pumpkin seeds Zn, P and Fe).
and the results obtained were; moisture (5%), ash (5.5%), Studies on chemical composition of some Egyptian and
crude fat (38%), crude fibre (1%), crude protein (27.48%), Chinese pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seed varieties indicated
available carbohydrate (28.03%) and calorific value (564 that moisture percentage in these varieties ranged between
kcal/100 g). Elemental analysis shows that potassium was the 3.38 to 5.53%, and contained crude fiber (4.12-4.69%), total
most abundant (273 mg/100 g) and manganese was least (0.06 lipids (35.2-41.95%), crude protein (34.19-39.75%), total
mg/100 g). The anti-nutritional parameters analyzed were; carbohydrate (4.8-10.96%) and ash (4.22-5.3%). Amino acid
phytate (35.06 mg/100 g), oxalate (0.02±0.10 mg/100 g), analysis revealed that seeds of these varieties have higher
hydrocyanic acid content (0.22±0.04 mg/100 g) and nitrate level of glutamic acid ranging from 33.03 to 34.76 g/100 g
(2.27±002 mg/100 g). They reported that the pumpkin seeds if protein (Al-Anoos et al., 2015) [2].
properly utilized can serve as good source of minerals. Also Pumpkin seed oil has received considerable attention in recent
Srbinoska et al., (2012) [15] studied and compared the years due to its nutritional and health-protective value.
chemical composition of seeds of C. maxima D. and C. pepo Recently Montesano et al., 2018 [10] also reported that
L. cultivated in the Republic of Macedonia. They found that pumpkin seed oils are interesting vegetable oils with
higher kernel yield and content of moisture, ash, total important nutritional value, related to the presence of MUFA,
nitrogen, proteins and carbohydrates in the C. pepo than in C. PUFA, phytosterols, and carotenoids and can be used as a
maxima seed. The highest extract yield of 487.4 g/kg dry preservative and as a functional ingredient in different areas
matter was also obtained from C. pepo kernel as compared to such as cosmetics, nutraceuticals and also can be incorporated
C. maxima kernel (388.2 g/kg dry matter), when n-hexane into food formulations to benefit human health.
was used as solvent. In all extracts, the palmitic, stearic, oleic
and linoleic acids were predominant but the linoleic/oleic acid Conclusion
ratio was higher in C. maxima extracts. D7-Sterols were With increased public awareness in sustainable agriculture,
predominant in all extracts, while D5-sterols content was clean and efficient energy and waste management
higher in the whole seed than in the kernel extracts. Higher technologies, pumpkin seeds have the opportunity to capture a
tocopherol content was determined in the extracts of C. pepo new and emerging market share in the snack food industry.
whole seed and kernel (153.79 mg/kg and 117.81 mg/kg, These reports from several studies suggested that pumpkin
respectively), than in those of C. maxima (121.24 mg/kg and seeds have the potential to be developed as novel value added
117.55 mg/kg, respectively). In all extracts γ-tocopherol product, which are rich in nutrients and to combat wastages of
content was higher than α-tocopherol. pumpkin seed. The application of these seeds can be
The Pumpkin seeds were well endowed in crude oil, protein, considered as a good alternative for the nutritional enrichment
carbohydrates and crude fibre. This was proved by Karanja et of food products and could be consumed as food, having a
al., (2013) [7] who studied on the nutritional composition of rich source of oil and nutrients. The use of these by-products
the pumpkin (cucurbita spp.) seed cultivated from selected adds value to the production, besides contributing to the
regions in Kenya and found that all groups of Cucurbita spp. formulation of new food products and minimizing losses. So,
seeds were rich in oil, fibre and protein. The fatty acid profile, it gives new opportunity to explore the possibilities for the
was similar to that from sesame, sunflower and soybean oils production technologies for the different value added products
which were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The pumpkin from pumpkins seeds.
seeds were found consists of crude fibre (11.69-24.85%),
crude fat (31.9-41.37%), crude protein (14.05-33.29%) and References
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335 and 70-148 mg/100 g) respectively. α-tocopherol content on chemical composition of some Egyptian and Chinese
ranged between 8.33 and 122.65 μg/g. they concluded that the
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International Journal of Chemical Studies

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