Nutritional Evaluation of Infant Formula Based on Delipidized Corn Flour and Pumpkin Seeds (Citrullus lanatus) in Growing Wistar Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The paper examines the effect of native and germinated pumpkin and watermelon seeds on the quality of semi-finished and finished bread products. Native and germinated seeds, pre-dried and ground into flour, were used as an additive to bread in the amount 5%, 10%, 15% by weight of the flour. Pumpkin and watermelon seeds were added in order to enrich the bread with micronutrients. The influence of these additives on the quantity and quality of gluten has been analysed. It has been found that the addition of pumpkin seed flour in quantities of 5%, 10% and 15% by weight of wheat flour leads to a decrease in the gluten content and an increase in its elasticity. The study has shown that adding native pumpkin seeds does not have a significant effect on the moisture and acidity of semi-finished and finished products, and adding germinated seeds leads to a slight increase in these parameters. Thus, the moisture content of the crumb with native pumpkin and watermelon seeds added increased by 0.2–1.3%, as compared with the reference sample, and with germinated seed flour added, it increased by 0.5–2.2%. The acidity of the crumb changes slightly, within experimental error. According to the physicochemical quality parameters, the most practical amount of the additives is 5% by weight of wheat flour. A comparative analysis has been carried out to establish how addition of 5% of native and germinated pumpkin and watermelon seeds changes the organoleptic properties of bread. The analysis has shown that ready-made bread products containing native pumpkin seeds taste better and have better olfactory properties than products with germinated seeds. The nutritional and calorific values of the reference sample and of bread with 5% of pumpkin and watermelon seed flour have been compared and characterised. It has been found that the addition of native pumpkin seeds will increase the content of minerals: of iron by 230%, of magnesium by 116%, and of potassium by 118%. The addition of native watermelon seeds will increase the phosphorus content by 13%. As a result of this research, the prospects of using flour of native pumpkin and watermelon seeds to fortify wheat bread have been shown

Introduction â�� Heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are known to have high human toxicity. Their presence at various rates in oilseeds has gained more importance during the last few years in the absence of regulation in seeds. The consumption of seeds has been recently reported to increase in Iran, especially among adolescents and young people, so that heavy metal contamination in these seeds could become a great problem of public health. Materials and methods â�� This study investigated the Cd and Pb levels present in 168 seed samples (pumpkin, sunflower, watermelon and jabooni seeds) collected over the country, using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave digestion. The data were used to estimate the weekly intake of Cd and Pb in Iranian consumers. Results and discussion â�� The highest concentrations of Pb and Cd were found in pumpkin shells and sunflower kernels, respectively. The concentrations of Pb and Cd detected in the seed samples averaged 77±28 I¼g kg-1 and 264±177 I¼g kg-1, respectively. The Pb content in 39 seed samples was exceeding the limit of 100 I¼g kg-1 established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The seeds with the highest Pb contamination were pumpkin seeds (67), followed by sunflower (30), watermelon (25), and jabooni seeds (15). None of the watermelon and jabooni seed samples were contaminated with Cd. The highest concentration (731 I¼g kg-1) and the highest number of samples (35) contaminated with Cd were recorded in the sunflower seeds. The differences in mean value of Pb and Cd among the seeds collected in various Iranian cities were not found statistically significant. Similarly, the mean intake of Pb and Cd estimated from the seed samples was much lower than the tolerable weekly intake (25.0 and 2.5 µg kg-1 week-1 for Pb and Cd, respectively) estimated by the JECFA. Conclusion â�� Although the mean dietary exposure of cadmium and lead was much lower than the reference doses, the high incidence of Pb and Cd in widely consumed oilseeds in Iran, and the toxic effects of Pb and Cd, indicate the necessity for regular surveillance to reduce intake of heavy metals by Iranian population. © ISHS 2018.

Recently, there has been a growing consumer interest in reducing meat consumption and choosing plant-based foods and plant-based protein alternatives. Proteins from hemp, pumpkin and watermelon seeds are new ingredients in the food industry. Freshwater fish meat protein is a promising alternative to meat in the production of protein-meat-containing products. The purpose of our research was to study the possibility of expanding the use of regional raw materials (vegetable flour and aquaculture) to create a combined food product, namely meat-containing bread. Methodology of the study is based on general research methods of analysis of the chemical composition, functional-technological and rheological properties of vegetable flour, white carp meat, organoleptic evaluation of meat bread with the addition of different amounts of flour from hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and watermelon seeds. Results. The mass fraction of protein in all types of flour was high and amounted to 38.2±1.87, 49.1±1.21 and 28.21±1.63%, respectively. The water-holding capacity of all flour samples was higher by 8.2-23.09% compared to wheat flour. The water-binding capacity of the white carp meat is 76.9±0.3%, which is not lower than that of traditional types of meat, and the plasticity is 29.3±0.07 cm2/g×103, which confirms the high rheological properties of this type of raw material. As a result of determining the chemical composition and critical coefficients of white carp meat, it was proven that this type of freshwater aquaculture contains a mass fraction of protein at the level of 15.9±0.67%, a mass fraction of fat – 7.70±0.11%, which causes its high nutritional properties. The organoleptic evaluation of meat loaves with 6, 8, and 10% vegetable flour of different types in the recipe of meat loaves confirmed the high sensory indicators of all three samples of meat loaves with different contents of vegetable flour. Products with 10% hemp flour and pumpkin seeds in the recipe received the highest points. In terms of taste, all experimental samples were better or not inferior to the control samples. Practical implications. On the basis of the conducted research, recipes for meat-containing breads with vegetable flour and white carp meat have been developed, which can be used for the production of dietary high-protein products for the nutrition of various segments of the population.Value/originality. The high protein content of various types of vegetable flour and their functional and technological properties, high consumer and technological indicators of white carp meat, prove their perspective as ingredients for the production of meat-rich products with the aim of increasing the nutritional value of products and expanding the range of food products.

The work aims at the production and formulation of plant-based nutritionally enriched butter-like spread products using chia seed, sesame seed, watermelon seed, and pumpkin seed in different ratios, with incorporation of olive oil. The formulated spread butters COB (chia + olive oil), CSOB (chia + sesame + olive oil), CWOB (chia + watermelon + olive oil), and CPOB (chia + pumpkin + olive oil) are of superior quality due to its antioxidant and nutrient content. The antioxidant property of all the formulated spread butter is characterized by total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH free radical scavenging activity, and FRAP assay and the results indicated that CSOB has the highest TPC value of 68.73 ± 0.01µg GAE/ml and CWOB has the highest DPPH and FRAP activity of 52.30 ± 0.01% and 51.01 ± 0.01µg of AAE/ml, respectively. The physicochemical properties of all the formulated butter was also analyzed via acid value, peroxide value, and totox value and the results were satisfactory with CPOB having the lowest Totox value of 2.25 ± 0.01. Functional properties of the spread butter are also investigated and the results were satisfactory. All the formulated butters are medicinally and nutritionally beneficial, and it can be used as an alternative to the conventional one.

Trace elements are essential in preserving good health and body immunity to diseases. The study was undertaken to determine the levels of chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) in herbal spices, food grains and edible seeds commonly used in Kenya. The levels of elements were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The herbal spices, food grains and seeds considered in this study included coriander (Coriandrum sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinalis), garlic (Allium sativum), cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), lemon grass (cymbogon citratus) rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), wheat (Triticum cestivum L.), brown rice (Oryza sativa), finger millet (Elusine coracana), bulrush millet ((Pennisetem glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), sunflower seeds (Helianthus anuus), watermelon seeds (Citrullus lanatus) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seeds. The results indicated that lemon grass had the highest V levels (14.40±1.20 mg/kg) followed by ginger at (14.38±0.31 mg/kg) while coriander seeds had the highest Cr levels (13.00±0.42 mg/kg), followed by lemon grass (12.80±1.47 mg/kg). Bulrush millet had the highest Se levels (198.38±3.75 µg/k) followed by sorghum (151.20±12.8 µg/kg). Pumpkin seeds had the highest level of Zn (53.54±1.44 mg/kg) followed by watermelon seeds at 41.00±5.79 mg/kg. The food grains, seeds and herbal spices could provide the body with the required daily intake. Consumption of mixed diet could therefore provide the body with essential trace elements that could boost the body immunity especially to those people with compromised health.    Key words: Trace elements, nutrition, herbal spices, food grains, fruit seeds, AAS.

A total of 779 samples of edible nuts (melon seeds, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and cantaloupe seeds) from Southern Punjab (Pakistan), were collected during the summer and the winter seasons. The natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and vitamin E (tocopherols) levels were investigated using HPLC. The results have shown that 180 (43.4%) of samples from the winter season and 122 (33.4%) samples from the summer season were found positive for AFs. Elevated average levels of total AFs (20.9 ± 3.10 μg/kg, dry weight) were observed in watermelon seeds without shell, and the lowest average amount (15.9 ± 3.60 μg/kg) were documented in melon seeds without shell samples from the winter season. An elevated average amount of total AFs 17.3 ± 1.50 μg/kg was found in pumpkin seeds available without a shell. The results have documented a significant difference in total AFs levels in edible seeds available with shells versus without shells (α = 0.05 & 0.01). The highest dietary intake of 6.30 μg/kg/day was found in female individuals from consuming pumpkin seeds (without shell) in the winter season. A value of 3.00 μg/kg/day was found in pumpkin seed without shell in the summer season in female individuals. The highest total tocopherol levels were 22.2 ± 7.70 ng/100 g in pumpkin seeds samples from the winter season and 14.5 ± 5.50 mg/100 g in melon seed samples from the summer season. The variation of total tocopherol levels in edible seeds among the winter and summer seasons showed a significant difference (p ≤ 0.0054), except watermelon seeds samples with non-significant differences (p ≥ 0.183).

Chemical composition and bioactive compounds of Cucurbitaceae seeds: Potential sources for new trends of plant oils

Background: Seeds are widely consumed as a traditional snack and have rich contents beneficial to health. With an increase in consumption rates, allergic reactions occur more frequently. We focus on multiple seed consumption related to recurrent anaphylaxis in this case. Case Presentation: We evaluated an 11-year-old boy with recurrent anaphylaxis. According to his medical records, he had been hospitalized several times, diagnosed with anaphylaxis, and treated. The family noticed direct (eating) or indirect contact with pumpkin seeds. In addition, the family mentioned another anaphylactic episode after watermelon seed and poppy seed bread consumption. We conducted skin prick-to-prick tests, examined total immunoglobulin E levels, and prescribed the treatment with an adrenalin autoinjector and preventive dietary recommendations. Conclusion: Anaphylaxis, particularly recurrent ones, should be evaluated with detailed anamnesis and supported with laboratory tests. Although seeds are beneficial and highly nutritious, it is necessary to consider them a source of allergens.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seeds are a rich source of ingredients such as aminoacids, fatty acids, minerals, and phytochemicals exhibiting nutraceutical effects on human health. In this work, partially defatted pumpkin seeds flour, a by-product obtained during the manufacture of pumpkin seeds oil, was studied as an additive for common wheat flour. We explored the physico-chemical properties as well the content in amino acids of the partially defatted pumpkin seeds. The obtained results revealed that partially defatted pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein (42.75% d.m.), lipids (12.28% d.m.), total carbohydrates (37.4% d.m.), from which crude fiber (26.64% d.m.). This by-product presents a high mineral content (mg/100g): potassium (1290), magnesium (693), iron (87.8), zinc (11.5) and copper (2.49).The partially defatted pumpkin seeds proteins contain significant amounts of essential amino acids such as valine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine and methionine.

Background: Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Cucumeropsis mannii and Citrullus lanatus commonly called pumpkin seeds or egussi, the oil-rich seeds, have already demonstrated hypolipidemic activity. In Africa, these seeds are popularly used in the preparation of local foods. During that thermal process, the fatty acid content of pumpkin seeds’ oils may be altered in their functionality. Thus, this work aims at studying the effect of stifled cooking on the quality and the lipid-lowering potential of oils’ extracts from Citrullus lanatus (CL) and Cucumeropsis mannii (CM). Methods: The oils were extracted from the pumpkin seeds (raw and cooked) by a mixture of chloroform and methanol (2/1). The acid, iodine, peroxide and thiobarbituric acid value of the oils were assessed. For 28 days, the oils were subsequently administered by oral intubation to high-fat diet induced hyperlipidemic rats. At the end of the experimentation, the lipid profile, the markers of the hepatic and kidney function were determined. Results: The oils extracted from raw CL and CM significantly reduced (p˂0,05) serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, uric acid, serum transaminases, creatinine, urea and increases the serum High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)cholesterol level relative to the oils extracted from cooked CM and CL. Moreover, the oil from cooked CL significantly (p<0.05) reduced some lipid profile and toxicity parameters (triglycerides and Alanine animotransferase) while increasing the serum HDL compared to the oil extracted from cooked CM. On the other hand, all the quality parameters of the raw materials followed the limits for vegetable oils, as opposed to cooked samples. Conclusion: Stifled cooking affects the lipid-lowering potential of CM oil compared to that of CL oil. Keywords: Citrullus lanatus; Cucumeropsis mannii; Cucurbitaceae, Hyperlipidemia, Stifled cooking.

Cotyledons of germinating sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, and watermelon seeds and the endosperm of germinating castor bean seeds have been examined for their ability to utilize glyoxylate-C14and acetate-C14for the biosynthesis of amino acids. All of the tissues examined readily utilized these acids when supplied in micromolar amounts to tissue slices. The chief products of this utilization included the organic acids of the glyoxylate and tricarboxylic acid cycles and a number of amino acids and amides. The results are interpreted as indicating that, in sunflower, watermelon, linseed, and pumpkin seeds, malate formed in the malate synthetase reaction is metabolized by the partial reactions of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. α-Ketoglutarate produced by these reactions is extensively utilized in the biosynthesis of glutamate, γ-aminobutyrate, and glutamine. In agreement with data already published, castor bean endosperm utilized acetate for the biosynthesis of sugars. This tissue also utilized glyoxylate for the formation of glycine, serine, glycollate, and malate. It is concluded that, with the exception of castor bean endosperm, acetyl CoA arising as a result of fatty acid oxidation might be utilized for amino acid biosynthesis via the partial reactions of the glyoxylate and tricarboxylic acid cycles.

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) is a devastating disease caused by Acidovorax citrulli, which was first observed in the United States in 1988 (3). A. citrulli can cause severe infection on a wide range of cucurbits, including watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin. Cotyledon symptoms are brown, angular, necrotic spots or large necrotic lesions. The disease is seedborne, so seeds usually serve as the primary inoculum source for BFB outbreaks (2). In July 2012, seedling blight was observed by local farmers from Anhui province in China on watermelon seedlings grafted to pumpkin rootstocks; lesions were morphologically similar to those caused by A. citrulli. Presence of A. citrulli was detected in symptomatic samples by using species-specific primers BX-L1/BX-S-R2 (1). The seed company claimed seeds of watermelon (cv. Changfeng) were certified free of bacterial fruit blotch, but pumpkin seeds (cv. Kangkuxianfeng-1) had not been tested for A. citrulli. For investigating the inoculum source, the remaining seeds of watermelon (cv. Changfeng) and pumpkin (cv. Kangkuxianfeng-1) for seedling production were collected from the farmer and processed for pathogen extraction as described by Walcott and Gitaitis (2). Two microliters of seed wash was used as template for PCR using primers BX-L1/BX-S-R2 (1). The experiment was conducted three times. A 279-bp DNA fragment was consistently amplified by PCR from seed wash of pumpkin seeds, but not from the seed wash of watermelon seeds. Three Acidovorax-like strains (A1, A2, and A3) were isolated from pumpkin seed wash using TWZ semi-selective medium (0.5% peptone, 0.025% CaCl2, 1% Tween-80, 50 mg/liter berberine, 50 mg/liter cycloheximide, 50 mg/liter 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride). PCR was performed on the 16S rDNA gene from isolate strain A1, A2, and A3 (1,492 bp; GenBank Accession Nos. JX875533, JX875534, and JX875535) with primers rp1/fd2 (4), and PCR products were sequenced. Results of sequence analysis showed the sequences of strains A1, A2, and A3 were 99% identical to that of the type strain of A. citrulli AAC00-1 (NC_008752). Pathogencity was confirmed by injection of pumpkin cotyledons with bacterial suspensions of each isolate. Collected pumpkin seeds (n = 100 seeds) and watermelon seeds (n = 100 seeds) were planted in plastic pots containing sterilized field soil at room temperature to detect A. citrulli by a wet chamber growing out test. Eight days later, brown, angular, necrotic spots or wilt developed in pumpkin seedlings, but no symptoms were noted on the watermelon seedlings. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. citrulli causing watermelon seedling blight transmitted from pumpkin seeds by grafting in China.

Background: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2015-2020 supports that healthy eating patterns should include a variety of vegetables from all five of the following vegetable subgroups: dark green, red and orange, legumes, starchy, and others. Aims and Objective: To determine the approximate composition and nutritive values of edible portions of different varieties of popular seeds and to identify the heavy metals contents of these seeds. Materials and Methods: Five different seeds were collected from traditional supermarkets in Benghazi. Moisture and Ash contents in the samples were determined by A.O.A.C method. Total fat and the crude protein content in the seed sample were measured by using soxhlet extraction, and the Kjeldahl method of AOAC, respectively. The mineral content in seeds also determined by Atomic Absorption, spectrophotometer. Result: Five different seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, watermelon seeds, corn and chickpea) were analyzed for determination their protein, fat, energy and moister contents. The highest and signifi cant protein contents found in sunflower seeds 27.5% (p=0.001) whilst the lowest content was observed in corn. The highest fat and carbohydrate contents found in sunflower seeds and in the corn, 50%; 50% (P= 0.014) and (72.4%) (P=0.0005) respectively. In compared to other seeds, the moisture contents of pumpkin seeds presented the highest amount with signifi cant values (p=0.0001). The energy contents of sunflower seeds were the predominant value 626.28 kcal/100 g followed by both pumpkin seeds and watermelon seeds 591.2 and 585.89 kcal/100g respectively. The ash content of pumpkin seeds was approximately 5.87%. Furthermore, Pumpkin seeds had higher amounts of potassium 871 mg/100g, and watermelon seed was the highest sources of calcium (86 mg/100g) than other seeds. Magnesium, Iron and copper signifi cantly found higher in sunflower seeds. Conclusion: Overall seeds could be one of the good sources of food staple for macro and micronutrients, and may have health and economic benefi cial. Consumption of such seeds should be at recommended levels due to presences some quantities of lead and cadmium,which could have detrimental health effect.

Treatment of cardiovascular diseases tends to be expensive and requires long-term therapy. Investigation about the effect of pumpkin seeds on prevention of endothelial dysfunction of blood vessel has never been reported yet, accordingly, bodies of research are required to know its effectiveness. This study aimed to analyze the expression of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule (VCAM) in male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) with hypercholesterolemia supplemented with pumpkin seeds extract (Cucurbita moschata Duch). This was an experimental laboratory study with randomized post-test control group design. The independent variable was pumpkin seeds extract, and the dependent one was expression of VCAM. Data analysis employed chi-square test to test the difference between control and treatment groups. Study results showed that there was significant difference (p=0.000) between VCAM expression in group-K2 (positive control) as compared to group-K1 (negative control) and group-K5 (treatment group-dose 3) α=0.001, whereas no significant difference was found between that of as compared to group-K3 (treatment group-dose 1) α=0.125 and group-K4 (treatment group-dose 2) α=0.05. The study showed reduction of VCAM expression in treatment groups consisted of male Wistar rats with hypercholesterolemia supplemented with pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita moschata Duch) extract. Keywords: Pumpkin seeds, VCAM expression, hypercholesterolemia

The use of locally produced condiments is gaining popularity as a healthier replacement for monosodium glutamate seasoning in cooking local and even some international dishes. This study determined the comparative proximate composition, mineral content and sensory properties of fermented condiments produced from two underutilized seeds namely pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita moschata) and watermelon seeds (Citrullus vulgaris). using the commonly used locust bean seed (Parkia biglobosa) as a control The condiment samples were produced following traditional fermentation methods, while the proximate composition and mineral content were analyzed using standard methods. The sensory attributes were evaluated based on the consumer’s preference with the exception of the watermelon seed condiments which developed a very pungent odor during fermentation. The locust bean condiments had the highest mean value of fibre and protein (3.16 and 20.32 %), but the least moisture (18.00 %), ash (2.57%) and carbohydrate (33.16%) contents. The watermelon seed condiments had the highest moisture, ash and carbohydrate contents (18.00, 2.57 and 33.16% respectively) and the least fibre, protein and fat contents (3.16, 20.32 and 22.8 % respectively). For the pumpkin seed condiments, the values of fibre and protein content were similar to those of the locust bean condiments but it had the highest fat content of 23.97%. The ash contents of all three condiments were statistically not different from each other (P<0.05), while the fat content of the pumpkin seed condiment was statistically the same with that of the locust bean condiment (P<0.05). The locust bean condiment contained the highest Calcium and potassium contents of 9.36 and 35.3 mg/100 g respectively, while the watermelon seed condiments contained the highest sodium content of 62.00 mg/100 g and an appreciable amount of potassium (23.78 mg/100 g). The pumpkin seed condiments had the lowest mineral contents of all three as the calcium content was 2.94 mg/100 g, potassium content was 0.49 mg/100 g, magnesium content of 1.03 mg/100 g and sodium content of 1.43 mg/100 g. The magnesium contents of all three condiments were the same statistically (P<0.05).The result of sensory attributes of the condiments showed that there was no significant difference in terms of appearance, which ranged from 7.50 - 8.15, mouth feel (7.15 to 7.80) and the overall acceptability had a mean value that ranged from 7.15 - 7.80. There was no significant difference in the taste and aroma of the condiment samples with mean score values of 7.55 - 7.80 and 7.15 - 7.90. The underutilized seeds compared favorably with commonly utilized locust bean seeds showing a high nutritional value. However, the watermelon seed would need further research as it developed a very pungent odor during fermentation and could not be used for sensory analysis. The pumpkin seeds could be recommended as a substitute for condiment production.