The most important bioactive components of cold pressed oil from different pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds

Abstract

The composition and content of certain bioactive components of the cold pressed oil obtained from six samples of pumpkin seeds ( Cucurbita pepo L.) cultivated in Serbia were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The composition and content of fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols, and the total content of squalene were determined. The results indicate oil's excellent quality, with high contents of monounsaturated fatty acids (37.1±0.70-43.6±0.69g/100g of total fatty acids), total tocopherols (38.03±0.25-64.11±0.07mg/100g of oil), sterols (718.1±6.1-897.8±6.8mg/100g of oil) and especially squalene (583.2±23.6-747±16mg/100g of oil). High content of squalene, phytosterols and monounsaturated fatty acids recommend the use of this type of the oil in the nutritional and medical purposes. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.