• Login
    View Item 
    •   KYUSpace | Home
    • Faculty of Science
    • Department of Food Processing Technology
    • Masters Degree Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   KYUSpace | Home
    • Faculty of Science
    • Department of Food Processing Technology
    • Masters Degree Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Nutritional quality of pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo L.) Seeds based on the mineral and fatty acid composition

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    PAMELA AKWAP 2019.pdf (487.7Kb)
    Date
    2019-10
    Author
    Akwap, Pamela
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Pumpkin seeds contribute to the nutrition of human populations and are also used in medicine in many parts of the world. In Uganda, pumpkin seeds are nowadays promoted and consumed as a snack. The potential of a food to be recommended for human consumption is determined primarily by the composition of its nutrients. The probable contribution of pumpkin seed towards the mineral, and essential fatty acid and total dietary lipid intakes in Uganda is not well known. The objective of this study was to determine the mineral content and oil yield of pumpkin seeds, analyze the fatty acid composition, and assess the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction. Mineral content was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Fatty acid composition was determined using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Nutritional quality was determined using total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)/total saturated fatty acid (SFA), ω6/ω3 and hypocholesterolemic /hypercholesterolemic (h/H) ratios, and the atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity indices. Potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) were the major macro-elements with mean concentrations of 416.45±27.66 and 407.56±58.93 mg/kg, respectively. Iron (Fe; 7.56±0.68 mg/kg) and zinc (Zn; 5.57±0.65 mg/kg) were major microelements. The oil yield ranged from 9.73% to 40.81%. The predominant fatty acids in decreasing order were linoleic (C18:2ω6), palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1ω9) and stearic (C18:0) acids. Low linolenic acid levels (C18:3ω3; < 1%) were observed. The PUFA/SFA and h/H ratios, and the values of AI and TI as 0.23 and 0.90 repetitively for the pumpkin seeds were favorable. Pumpkin seeds are a health food for human consumption. KEY WORDS: Cucurbita pepo L., mineral, oil yield, fatty acid, AI, TI, h/H ratio. 1 CHAPTER 1:
    URI
    https://kyuspace.kyu.ac.ug/xmlui/handle/20.500.12504/505
    Collections
    • Masters Degree Dissertations

    Kyambogo University Copyright © 2015-2023  | University Library | Search Library Catalogue | Contact Us
    KYUSpace Powered By DICTS 
     

     

    Browse

    All of KYUSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Kyambogo University Copyright © 2015-2023  | University Library | Search Library Catalogue | Contact Us
    KYUSpace Powered By DICTS