Composition, Physicochemical and Morphological Characterization of Pumpkin Flour - 農業知識入口網

 Pumpkin provides a valuable source of carotenoids and ascorbic acid which have major roles in nutrition as provitamin A and as an antioxidant respectively. Pumpkin can be processed into flour which has a longer shelf-life. Pumpkin flour was prepared by hot air-drying of pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae moschata Decne) pulp. The objectives of this research were to determine the physico-chemical properties of pumpkin flour. Pumpkin flour exhibited high levels of carbohydrate (79.57 %), starch (48.30 %), dietary fiber (12.1%) protein (7.81%) and total ash (5.29 %); low contents of lipid (3.60%) and crude fiber (3.65 %). Vitamin A was 48.30 μg/100g. Pumpkin flour peak gelatinization temperature was 75.3°C, the water solubility index WSI was 27.58% and the water absorption index WAI was 491.75%. The pasting properties were: temperature: 45.5°C; peak viscosity: 87.55 RVU; breakdown: 3.22 RVU; setback: 56.58 RVU and trough: 84.33 RVU. The morphology of the starch granules, observed by scanning electron microscopy, had less smooth granule surfaces and appeared as a mixture of spherical, polyhedral and irregular shaped with sizes ranging from 5 to 15 μm. The overall results are suggestive of the potential of pumpkin as a source of flour and may find suitable applications in the food processing industry for novel product development.