Pumpkin landraces from southern Brazil as functional foods

Abstract Squash is a food that meets the requirements of a healthy diet and is highly appreciated by consumers for its mild flavour and high nutritional value. In southern Brazil, many farmers grow several pumpkin landraces that are widely used in food. The consumption of its fruits and derivatives benefits human health due to the bioactive compounds, minerals, and antioxidants in the fruit pulp, making pumpkin a functional food. The objective of this study was to characterize the bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and minerals in the pulp of fruits of pumpkin landraces (Cucurbita maxima) from southern Brazil. Phenolic compounds, carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and minerals were evaluated in 10 accessions of pumpkin landraces from the Cucurbitaceae Genebank of Embrapa Temperate Agriculture (Pelotas, RS, Brazil). In mature fruits, the seeds and peels were discarded, and opposite longitudinal slices of pulp were manually prepared for analysis. All analyses were performed in triplicate. The data obtained showed genetic variability in total phenolic compounds, carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and minerals. Accessions C49, C307, and C216 had high levels of total phenolic compounds and carotenoids and high antioxidant activity. Of these accessions, accession C49 had the highest antioxidant capacity (504.1 μg·g-1). C216 and C178 were high in copper and iron, and the latter was highest in potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. Thus, accessions C216 and C178 have great potential for exploitation by genetic improvement programs for the development of biofortified cultivars in efforts to promote consumer health.