Cucurbita is one of the underutilized crops and its existence in Kenya is presently threatened due to neglect. The pumpkin is a rich source of nutrients and has medicinal properties. However, owing to the perception that it is a traditional food and majority of the Kenyan pop-ulace being unaware of its high nutritional value it still remains unexploited. The objective of this work was to evaluate the nutritional quality of pumpkin seeds. Proximate composition was determined in accordance with AOAC methods, mineral composition by Atomic Absorption Spec-trophotometry, tocopherol and fatty acid profile was analysed using HPLC and GC, respectively. Data analysis was done by Genstat package. Significant differences (p
Publication year
2013
Authors
Karanja J K; Mugendi B J; Khamis F M; Muchugi, A.
Language
English
Keywords
cucurbita spp, fatty acids, nutrition
Geographic
Kenya
