Effect of drying methods on the nutritional and phytochemical properties of pumpkin flower (<i>Cucurbita maxima</i>) and its characterization

Flowers have long been used culturally for their aesthetical and aromatic properties but now a day edible flowers are gaining importance because of their bioactive potential. Additionally, flowers are the most accessible, least expensive source from plants, and in the case of pumpkin, the male flower's function is limited to pollination only. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess a suitable method (tray, shade, microwave, and sun drying) of drying for pumpkin flowers depending on the effect of each drying technique on the nutritional, phytochemical, and antioxidant activity. The best-suited drying method for pumpkin flowers was characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential and size distribution parameters. The values for ash content (14.7 & PLUSMN; 0.28%), protein (3.58 & PLUSMN; 0.01%), and energy (357.33 & PLUSMN; 1.42 Cal/g) were found to be higher for shade-dried samples. All the drying techniques have affected the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of pumpkin flowers but the tray-dried and shade-dried techniques have retained most of the antioxidants namely total phenolic content, total flavonoid, carotenoid, and their activity (FRAP, ABTS, and FRSA). The shade dried sample among all the dried samples was concluded to be the suitably dried sample and has been identified to have amorphous nature (2 & theta; = 22.85 & DEG;), good solubility, and particle size 878.8 nm distribution in its suspension, particle's surface potential i.e. - 19.0 mV, (T-onset) = 33.68 & DEG;C, end temperature (T-endset) = 85.36 & DEG;C, denaturation peak temperature (T-peak) = 58.84 & DEG;C and increment H = 86.7148 J/g indicating good thermal stability. The obtained results indicate that pumpkin flower powder could be a potential source for the development of functional and value-added food products.

Journal

JOURNAL OF FOOD MEASUREMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION

Year

2023

Volume

17

Issue

5

Pages

5330-5343

ISSN

2193-4126

eISSN

2193-4134

DOI

10.1007/s11694-023-02026-z

WoS UID

WOS:001023882800001