Mineral composition and potential nutritional contribution of 34 genotypes from different summer squash morphotypes

Mineral concentrations were determined in fruit of 34 traditional and improved genotypes of Cucurbita pepo. Genotypes belong to two subspecies, the subsp. pepo (classified into zucchini, vegetable marrow and pumpkin morphotypes) and subsp. ovifera (with three varieties: texana, ozarkana and clypeata). Phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and sodium were analyzed, and two distinct patterns of mineral accumulation were found to be evident by cluster analysis. Genotypes in group 1 (zucchini and pumpkin) showed the highest concentrations of total minerals (24,338–62,136 mg kg⁻¹dry weight) as compared to the genotypes in group 2 (vegetable marrow, var. clypeata, var. texana and var. ozarkana). Some genotypes with significant concentrations for different minerals were identified, with the genotype Cu-2 (traditional zucchini) showing the highest concentrations for K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Na (4,615, 315, 300, 4.8, 3.03, 3.83 and 9.4 mg kg⁻¹dry weight, respectively). The zucchini morphotype was superior to other morphotypes studied in terms of contribution to the recommended dietary allowance of mineral content for both men and women. The mineral content of C. pepo fruit reported provides a valuable material for breeding programs to generate lines with a significant long-term beneficial impact on human health.