Nutritional characterization and antioxidant properties of various edible portions of Cucurbita maxima: A potential source of nutraceuticals
Farhana Jahan,
Md. Badrul Islam,
Shyama Prosad Moulick,
Mahci Al Bashera,
Md. Sabbir Hasan,
Nishat Tasnim,
Trissa Saha,
Farhana Boby,
Md. Waliullah,
Anik Kumar Saha,
Amin Hossain,
Lailatul Ferdousi,
Md. Mahmudur Rahman,
Barun Kanti Saha,
Md Nurul Huda Bhuiyan
Affiliations
Farhana Jahan
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh; Corresponding author. BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bangladesh.
Md. Badrul Islam
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Shyama Prosad Moulick
BCSIR Laboratories, Dhaka, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh; Corresponding author. BCSIR Laboratories, Dhaka, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bangladesh.
Mahci Al Bashera
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Md. Sabbir Hasan
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Nishat Tasnim
Institute of Technology Transfer and Innovation, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Trissa Saha
Institute of Fuel Research and Development, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Farhana Boby
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Md. Waliullah
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Anik Kumar Saha
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Amin Hossain
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Lailatul Ferdousi
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Md. Mahmudur Rahman
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Barun Kanti Saha
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
Md Nurul Huda Bhuiyan
BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh; Corresponding author. BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bangladesh.
Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) is a widely grown vegetable in Bangladesh and is known as the sole supplier of various nutrients. Many studies evidence the nutritional value of flesh and seed while peel, flower, and leaves were reported scarcely with limited information. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of flesh, peel, seed, leaves, and flowers of Cucurbita maxima. The seed had a remarkable composition of nutrients and amino acids. Flowers and leaves possessed higher content of minerals, phenols, flavonoids, carotenes, and total antioxidant activity. The order of IC50 value (peel > seed > leaves > flesh > flower) indicates higher DPPH radicals scavenging activity of the flower. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was observed among these phytochemical constituents (TPC, TFC, TCC, TAA) and DPPH radicals scavenging activity. It could be concluded that these five parts of the pumpkin plant have an intense potency to be an exigent component of functional food or medicinal herbs.
