CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF THE ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF PUMPKIN SEED FLOUR (CUCURBITA MOSCHATA)

Abstract

The food industry, due to losses in the quality of food products due to lipid oxidation, seeks more efficient alternatives to avoid lipid oxidation and changes in color and flavor in these products, especially in meat derivatives. The use of antioxidants is the most used way to prevent lipid oxidation in food. Pumpkin seed flour has antioxidant properties due to the presence of tocopherols (vitamin E), mainly in the form of tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol isomers, and is rich in fiber, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and mineral salts. Aiming to study sources of natural antioxidants as an alternative to replace the synthetic antioxidants commonly used by the industry, this study aimed to study the effect of storage time on the antioxidant potential of pumpkin seed flour using the ABTS method and characterize the flour samples of pumpkin seeds (cucurbita moschata) and compare with other literature and evaluate the compounds present using the FTIR method. The seeds were stored at -18°C and processed with 4 and 24 days of storage, subjected to the hygiene process, drying process in a sparrow dehydrator, then crushed and the flours obtained were subjected to ABTS analysis. The values ​​for antioxidant potential by the ABTS method showed average values ​​of 475 µmol trolox/g. Storage time did not influence the antioxidant potential of the flour and the results demonstrate that pumpkin seed flour has the potential to be used and contribute to the use of waste by the industry, reducing pollution caused by this waste.