Nutritional Value and Antioxidant Activity of Fresh Pumpkin Flowers (Cucurbita sp.) Grown in Poland

Abstract

Pumpkin flowers, in their composition, contain many bioactive ingredients that have a beneficial effect on the human body. The aim of the research was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and chemical composition of flowers of various species and varieties of pumpkins: Amazonka, Ambar, Atlantic Giant, Bambino (Cucurbita maxima L.), Butternut, Muscade de Provence, Rouge vif d’Etampes (Cucurbita moschata Duch.), and Miranda (Cucurbia pepo L.). The flowers came from flowering pumpkin shoots, grown in Poland (Krakow). The total polyphenols, carotenoids, total sugar contents, antioxidant activity, and fatty acid composition were determined. The content of dry matter, protein, ash, fat, and selected minerals were also determined. Pumpkin flowers of the Atlantic Giant variety were characterized by the highest content of total polyphenols and sugars and antioxidant activity. They also showed the highest percentage of n-myristic acid (C14:0) and docosanoic acid (C22:0). The energy value of fresh pumpkin flowers, of all varieties, was low and averaged 22 kcal/100 g. Fresh pumpkin flowers are a significant source of iron, covering 60–80% of the EAR standard for adults (Atlantic Giant and Bambino varieties).

Carotenoid Content and Profiles of Pumpkin Products and By-Products

“…Edible flowers that are now increasingly available on the market are squash blossoms. Biezanowska-Kopec et al [ 50 ] studied the nutrient composition and antioxidant activity of squash flowers from different squash species ( C. maxima , C. moschata and C. pepo ) and cultivars ‘Amazonka’, ‘Ambar’, ‘Atlantic Giant’, ‘Bambino’, ‘Butternut’, ‘Muscade de Provence’, ‘Rouge vif d’Etampes’ and ‘Miranda’. The highest carotenoid content (45.82 mg/100 g) was found in the ‘Miranda’ cultivar ( C. pepo ), while the lowest content (15.27 mg/100 g) was found in the ‘Butternut’ cultivar ( C. moschata ).…”

Phytochemical, Nutritional and Mineral Content of Four Edible Flowers

“…As regards microelements, the amount of Fe was remarkably lower in our C. moschata cultivar than in other Cucurbita flowers [ 42 , 45 , 46 ]. In particular, C. moschata ‘Butternut’ and C. maxima ‘Atlantic Giant’ showed the highest content: 841 and 802 µg/g DW [ 42 ].…”

“…As regards microelements, the amount of Fe was remarkably lower in our C. moschata cultivar than in other Cucurbita flowers [ 42 , 45 , 46 ]. In particular, C. moschata ‘Butternut’ and C. maxima ‘Atlantic Giant’ showed the highest content: 841 and 802 µg/g DW [ 42 ]. Significant differences were also observed between V. cornuta and V. tricolor flowers, since the latter were reported to contain 386 µg/g DW of Fe, around 6-fold more than our samples [ 55 ].…”

“…In particular, D-glucose was consistently the most abundant sugar, while sucrose was absent from the C. moschata and F. regia flowers ( Table 1 ). Previous studies reported the total soluble sugar content of EFs belonging to the same genera as the species included in this work [ 40 , 41 , 42 ], but only a few of them quantified D-glucose, D-fructose and sucrose separately. V. cornuta flowers are characterized by a lower amount of soluble sugars than white and red pansies ( Viola × wittrockiana Gams), while the concentration of sucrose is similar to that found in yellow Viola × wittrockiana and in V. cornuta flowers [ 43 ].…”

“…In more detail, Ca was quantified as 1.2–8.7 mg/g DW in Cucurbita spp. [ 42 , 45 , 46 ], 0.4–4.3 mg/g DW in Dianthus spp. [ 47 , 50 ], 2.9 mg/g DW in F. × hybrida [ 49 ], and 1.8–9.6 in Viola spp.…”