Pumpkin is a yellow or orange-colored vegetable with a mild flavor that stands out as a fiber and nutrient source. However, the products with pumpkins are still little explored in Brazil, due to high perishability in natura and to the lack of eating habits of regional baked goods. This study aimed to produce and characterize a pumpkin flour to be used as an ingredient in muffins, evaluate the technological, and sensory characteristics of these cakes, and select the most sensorially accepted muffin for nutritional composition evaluation. Three muffins were produced as following: one control (M0); and two containing 5 (M1) and 10 (M2) g/100 g of partial substitution of wheat flour by pumpkin flour, thus maintaining the other ingredients common to cakes. The technological characteristics of firmness, volume and color were evaluated. Sensory acceptance was assessed using an affective test on an unstructured 9-point hedonic scale. There were no significant differences in the firmness and image analysis (distribution, size, and pore area of the crumb) among the three muffins, however, M1 and M2 presented darker crust color, more orange crumb, and a lower volume compared to M0. The sensory acceptability of the muffins was considered as a criterion for selection for nutritional composition analysis. The muffins’ acceptance of M1 was better than M0, but without differences to M2. The consumers’ opinions were also considered, and M1 was selected for having greater acceptance. Nutritionally, M0 and M1 presented similar levels of proteins, digestible carbohydrates, and lipids, however, M1 showed a higher content of ash and total dietary fibers: 2.01 ± 0.03 and 1.57 g/100 g (dry basis), respectively. Thus, the pumpkin flour could be produced and used as a regional, enriched, and natural-colored ingredient for muffins or other bakery products, and therefore they had a socially positive impact on family farming.
