Abstract
Fluted pumpkin, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a versatile fruit and is used for various food processing application in Nigeria. As a result of its versatility, this study was conducted to ascertain the physiochemical characteristics and some vitamins content of its seeds oil. The pumpkin pods were gotten from a local farm in Benin metropolis, Edo state, Nigeria. The extraction of oil was conducted by the use of Seed-2-oil ® hot press machine. Various other standard methods were employed in the study. The physicochemical characteristics showed that the light yellow oil had a refractive index of 1.4710C ± 0.001 and melting point of 19.670C ± 1.80 while the chemical properties revealed acid value (0.64 mg KOH/ g of oil ± 0.05), peroxide value (0.99 Meq of 𝑂2/Kq of Oil ± 0.01), saponification value (189.73 mg KOH/g of oil ± 5.20) and p-anisidine (0.09 ± 0.01) respectively. The findings for the vitamins revealed vitamin A (781IU ± 1.35), D (1361IU ± 0.14) and K3 (8.145IU ± 0.36) respectively. The findings from this study revealed that pumpkin seed oil can be a good nutritive enrichment of foods and food products and a possible utilization in pharmaceuticals.
Highlights
Many human diseases are caused by oxidative stress which is usually initiated by free radicals
The high ratio of this oil looks to substantiate the high variety of carbon atoms in their fatty acids (Falade; et al 2008)
The iodine worth is high and this reflected the presence of high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids within the seed oil
Summary
Many human diseases are caused by oxidative stress which is usually initiated by free radicals. The study aims to assess vitamins A, D and K contents and the physicochemical properties of the T. occidentalis seed oil. Determination of physicochemical properties of the pumpkin seed oil: Peroxide value: Rancidity is brought about by the action of air (oxidative) or by
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