The content of selected nutrients and minerals in some cultivars of Cucurbita maxima

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the content of nutrients and minerals in various cultivars of Cucurbita maxima.

Design/methodology/approach

This is preliminary study, so eight samples from each cultivar of pumpkin used in this study were obtained from local farms from Poland. The following pumpkin cultivars were used: Australian butter, Flat white boer, Garbo, Golden delicious, Golden nugget, Hokkaido, Solor and Zapallito de tronco. In pumpkins elements, dry matter, ash and crude protein were determined. All elements were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer. Content of dry matter, ash and crude protein according to AOAC methods.

Findings

The fruit of Cucurbita maxima, irrespective of cultivar, is a good means of supplementing the diet with highly beneficial fibre, and minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulphur, silicon, iron and zinc. The pumpkins richest in minerals are those of the Australian butter cultivar (calcium, manganese, iron), Flat white boer (sodium, silicon, chromium, nickel), Hokkaido (potassium, phosphorus, zinc, chromium) and Solor (magnesium, sulphur, copper), while the Garbo, Golden Delicious and Zapallito de tronco cultivars had the lowest concentrations of minerals.

Originality/value

The results obtained indicate that depending on the consumer’s expectations, pumpkins of various cultivars can be a dietary component that corrects deficiencies in the diet. Pumpkins grown in Poland have been characterised in terms of the content of mineral elements. These vegetables have become an important component of local food in Poland.

Citation

Czech, A., Stępniowska, A., Wiącek, D., Sujak, A. and Grela, E.R. (2018), "The content of selected nutrients and minerals in some cultivars of Cucurbita maxima", British Food Journal, Vol. 120 No. 10, pp. 2261-2269. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-10-2017-0599