African Cucurbita pepo L.: properties of seed and variability in fatty acid composition of seed oil

Pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo) seeds are used locally in Eritrea to treat tapeworm. Seeds were found to be rich in oil (∼35%), protein (38%), α-tocoferols (3 mg/100 g) and carbohydrate content (∼37%). The physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of the seed oil were examined. The four domin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytochemistry (Oxford) 2000-05, Vol.54 (1), p.71-75
Main Authors: Younis, Y.M.H, Ghirmay, Seniat, Al-Shihry, S.S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cucurbita pepo
Cucurbitaceae
Cucurbitaceae - chemistry
Eritrea
Fatty acid composition
Fatty Acids - chemistry
Plant Oils - chemistry
Pumpkin seed oil
Seeds - chemistry
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Summary:Pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo) seeds are used locally in Eritrea to treat tapeworm. Seeds were found to be rich in oil (∼35%), protein (38%), α-tocoferols (3 mg/100 g) and carbohydrate content (∼37%). The physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of the seed oil were examined. The four dominant fatty acids found are: palmitic C16:0 (13.3%), stearic C18:0 (8.0%), oleic C18:1 (29.0%) and linoleic C18:2 (47.0%). The oil contains an appreciable amount of unsaturated fatty acids (78.0%) and found to be a rich source of linoleic acid (47.0%). Within the three localities of the study, variations exist in seed properties and the fatty acid composition of the oil.
ISSN:0031-9422
1873-3700
DOI:10.1016/S0031-9422(99)00610-X