Pumpkin, cucurbitaceae pumpkin annual trailing herb, rich in starch, fat, reducing sugar, a variety of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Modern research shows that pumpkin also contains a variety of efficacy factors, such as cancer prevention and disease treatment. Therefore, in recent years, the study of pumpkin efficacy factors and the corresponding functional food development has been more and more attention.

Nutritional composition and efficacy of pumpkin

Pumpkin is rich in nutrients, in addition to pectin, pentamethylfuran, mannitol, a variety of amino acids (citrulline, aspartic acid, etc.), vitamins (VC, VE, VD, etc.), minerals (Fe, P, Se, etc.), but also contains alkaloids, pumpkin seed alkaloids, cucurbit alkaloids, soluble fiber, huperzine, lutein and other physiologically active substances and nutrients. The content per 100g edible food is shown below:

Chinese medicine believes that pumpkin is warm and sweet in nature, with the effect of tonifying the middle and benefiting the vital energy, reducing inflammation and pain, detoxifying and killing insects. Modern medical research has found that pumpkin also has a variety of medicinal value.

The active ingredient CTY in pumpkin can increase the content of Glut-Z protein which is lacking in the pancreatic cells of diabetic patients, so as to promote the secretion of insulin, and it is a good dietary supplement for controlling and assisting in the treatment of diabetes mellitus and diseases caused by diabetes mellitus such as nephropathy, hepatopathy, and high blood pressure;

Alkaloids, pumpkin alkaloids, fenugreek alkaloids and other effective components contained in pumpkin can catalyze the decomposition of carcinogenic substances nitrosamines, accelerate the dissolution of kidney stones, bladder stones, help eliminate excess cholesterol in the body and prevent arteriosclerosis; pumpkin is rich in citrulline. It can drive away parasites, treat schistosomiasis and advanced schistosomiasis ascites and other symptoms have a certain degree of efficacy.

Common pumpkin products

2.1 Pumpkin pulp can be made into dried pumpkin, pumpkin powder, pumpkin juice drink, pumpkin sauce and other foods.

2.2 Pumpkin skin is rich in pectin, so it can be extracted for the food industry. In addition, the study also found that the pumpkin skin sheds a yellow pigment. Containing 16.84% of β-carotene, soluble in oils and fats, strong stability, non-toxic, can be used as a food additive.

2.3 The oil content of pumpkin seeds is as high as about 50%, which can be extracted into high-quality edible oil for high blood pressure and diabetics.

2.4 Pumpkin flesh can be dried to produce fermented products such as feed.

The development trend of pumpkin in the food industry

3.1 Health food
Because pumpkin has various effects such as lowering blood fat and blood pressure, it can be extracted to make health food for diabetics, cardiovascular patients or healthy people.

3.2 Children’s food
Hungarian scientists found that the crude protein content of pumpkin seeds is 72% to 96%, protein digestion and absorption rate is as high as 88 to 97%, physiological efficiency 73% to 86%, and contains a well-balanced variety of essential amino acids, rich in minerals (Ca, K, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, etc.) and a large number of thiamine, nicotinic acid, etc., does not contain tannic acid, pancreatic prionase inhibitors and flatulence, suitable for the processing of children (3 to 5 years old). Processing children’s (3 to 5 years old ) food.

3.3 Food for the elderly
Pumpkin is rich in nutrients and has anti-aging, eyesight, asthma and other health functions. It can be made into functional food, specialized for the elderly.