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SOFTENING OF PUMPKIN SEEDS ( CUCURBITA MOSCHATA ) BY ALKALINE MACERATION
Author(s) -
CARAMEZ S.M.B.,
STEFANI M.,
MEDEIROS J.D.,
VIEIRA M.A.,
BRÜSKE G.R.,
DE FRANCISCO A.,
AMANTE E.R.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of food process engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1745-4530
pISSN - 0145-8876
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4530.2007.00163.x
Subject(s) - maceration (sewage) , cucurbita moschata , pumpkin seed , softening , chemistry , food science , botany , biology , materials science , composite material , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
The nutritional value of pumpkin seeds is widely recognized. This article shows that alkaline maceration of pumpkin seed makes them soft and improves their market acceptability as an important source of fiber, unsaturated lipids, minerals and proteins. Microscopic characterization of pumpkin seeds was realized. The results indicate elimination of minerals from the seeds through the delignification process due to the nature of the phenolic compounds eliminated in the maceration liquid. The alkaline maceration process of pumpkin seeds may contribute to a larger consumption of fibers and other nutritive elements from them.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This work shows that the pumpkin seeds softened by chemical maceration improve sensory preferences, compared to nonmacerated products. Solid waste from pumpkin process can be converted to a new product as a snack rich in fiber and other important compounds, normally discarded as an industrial solid waste.