Quality properties and nutritional compounds of fresh-cut pumpkin treated with supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract

The work aimed to explore the effect of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCD) treatment on the enzyme activity, color, carotenoid, sugar and phenolic profile, and antioxidant activity of fresh-cut pumpkins. The polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities of SCCD-treated pumpkin cubes were reduced by 21% and 18%, respectively. The lightness value of SCCD-treated samples declined compared to the untreated samples, whereas the redness and yellowness values in treated samples were enhanced. The lutein, α-carotene, β-carotene and total carotenoids, glucose, sorbitol, and other polysaccharides in the SCCD-treated samples showed a fluctuation trend. Similarly, the treated sample's total phenolic contents (TPC), ABTS (2,2′- azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and superoxide radical scavenging activities were increased and then reduced. An enhancement was noted in the coumaryloquinic acid I and II, caffeic acid glucoside, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid of SCCD-treated samples. The work demonstrated that the SCCD technique at moderate conditions could obtain higher retention of nutritional composition in fresh-cut pumpkins.