Physicochemical properties of butternut pumpkin flour as affected by different age of harvest

Pumpkin is famous for its high nutrition, primarily β-carotene content. However pumpkin crop is seasonal, the nutrition content is affected by harvest age, and in addition, the shape and size are not uniform which might give a problem on storage. Therefore, processing into flour is one alternative to maintain its availability throughout the year and minimize storage facility. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of the flour processed from different ages of harvest. The experiment was arranged in a complete randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications. The harvest age studied were 15, 20, 25, and 30 days after the fruit set (DAFS). Data homogeneity and additivity were tested using the Bartlett and Tuckey Tests, then the data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and continued tested with the least significant difference (LSD) test to find the most suitable harvest age to produce flour with the best characteristics. The results show that 30 DAFS is the best harvest age to produce flour with the water absorption of 4.4g/g, the solubility of 9.8%, and swelling power of 8.4g/g.