Nutritive value of pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo Kakai 35) seed products

The nutritive value of the pumpkin seed products was evaluated. Isolation of protein eliminated 80% of the phytic acid and 100% of the tannic acid, trypsin inhibitor and flatulence factors. Ethanol treatment during the preparation of the protein concentrate reduced tannic acid by 78% and trypsin inhibitor by 21%, while it had no effect on the phytic acid content. Isoleucine and valine were the first limiting amino acids for meal and protein concentrate, while the sulphur-containing amino acids and valine were first limiting in pumpkin protein isolate-I and isolate-N, respectively. Pumpkin seed products had high levels of crude protein in the range 720–960 g kg⁻¹. In-vitro protein digestibility and biological value were in the ranges 88–97% and 73–86%, respectively. Both meal and concentrate were rich in minerals (Ca, K, P, Mg, Fe and Zn) while isolates contain remarkable levels of sodium and copper. Pumpkin meal is a good source of the vitamin B group, while a large proportion of these vitamins is lost during the preparation of the protein concentrate and isolates.