Effect of different cooking conditions on antioxidant properties of some cucurbit vegetables

Abstract

Effects of pressure cooker and microwave cooking methods on total antioxidant activity (AA), Vitamin C, phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanin and total carotenoids different types of gourd vegetables like cucumber, pumpkin, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, pointed gourd and spine gourd were collected from local market of Navsari. The time length was standardized for different length of time in pressure cooker and microwave. The methanolic extracts of different raw and cooked (7, 10 and 15 min) both in pressure and microwave cooked vegetables were tested. The result revealed higher percentage of loss of antioxidants under microwaving compared to pressure cooking. There four it is clear that bitter gourd is the vegetable which is containing the highest antioxidant activity. This experiment also clarified the fact that most of the vegetable, microwave heating for 7 minutes and pressure cooking for 10 minutes gives the best result as this food material contains possible higher amount of antioxidant activity with proper cooking standard.