The Hypoglycemic Effect of Pumpkin Seeds,Trigonelline (TRG), Nicotinic Acid (NA), and D-Chiro-inositol (DCI) in Controlling Glycemic Levels in Diabetes Mellitus

In the contemporary society, diabetes mellitus is considered as a common, growing, serious, costly, and potentially preventable public health problem. It is forecasted that in 2030, the number of people with diabetes will go up from 117 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030. The prevalence of diabetes will place a huge burden on health and financial structures of countries, and these will impact on individuals, as well as families and nations. Polysaccharides, para-aminobenzoic acid, fixed oils, sterol, proteins, and peptides are biologically active ingredients, which are found in pumpkins. The chemicals within pumpkins such as the fruit pulp, oil from ungerminated seeds, and protein from germinated seeds have hypoglycemic properties. Preliminary investigation showed that pumpkin seeds, and the macromolecules, therein, such as Trigonelline (TRG), Nicotinic acid (NA), and dchiro-inositol (DCI), possess hypoglycemic properties and could assist in maintaining glycemic control.     

混浊南瓜汁饮料配方的确定

南瓜有降血糖作用,是治疗糖尿病的食疗良药。以南瓜为主要原料,经磨浆、过滤、调配、均质等处理,采用合理的加工工艺与配方,可以制成有一定保健功能的南瓜汁饮料。     

混浊南瓜汁饮料配方的确定

南瓜有降血糖作用，是治疗糖尿病的食疗良药。以南瓜为主要原料，经磨浆、过滤、调配、均质等处理，采用合理的加工工艺与配方，可以制成有一定保健功能的南瓜汁饮料。     

南瓜多糖的提取、分析和降血糖试验研究

采用水提、醇沉法从南瓜中提取出南瓜多糖,并对其成份进行分析;以四氧嘧啶糖尿病大鼠为动物模型,以中成药物消渴丸和知母浸膏为对照,进行南瓜多糖的降低血糖动物试验研究。结果证实了南瓜多糖有较好的降低四氧嘧啶糖尿病大鼠血糖的功效,且原料来源丰富,提取成本廉价,有较好的开发前景。     

南瓜保健蛋糕生产工艺条件的研究

南瓜对人体具有营养和保健作用。本文主要介绍了南瓜保健蛋糕的加工工艺过程，通过正交实验确定了该产品的工艺参数和最佳配方。南瓜保健蛋糕是糖尿病人较理想的保健食品。     

南瓜酒发酵工艺条件研究

以新鲜南瓜为原料,研究了南瓜酒的酿造工艺。旨在为开发出酒品更佳的南瓜酒提供理论依据。在单因素及正交试验的基础上,得到了南瓜酒的最佳发酵条件。结果表明：在酵母接种量0.5%,初始糖度22%,初始pH4.5,主发酵温度21℃工艺条件下所得发酵南瓜酒品质较佳,味协调醇和。试验研究所制得的南瓜酒为纯发酵食品,最大限度地保留了南瓜所含营养物质,是营养价值较高的饮品,具有较强的保健功能。     

Extraction,isolation and characterisation of oil bodies from pumpkin seeds for therapeutic use

Pumpkin, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family has been used frequently as functional medicines for therapeutic use. Several phytochemicals such as polysaccharides, phenolic glycosides, 13-hydroxy-9Z, 11E-octadecatrienoic acid from the leaves of pumpkin, proteins from germinated seeds, have been isolated.     

南瓜加工技术研究进展

南瓜具有较高的营养、保健和药用价值,因此南瓜加工技术研究具有重要意义,而南瓜干制在南瓜加工中占有重要地位。本文在介绍当前南瓜加工研究背景的基础上,重点阐述南瓜干制加工技术,分析了目前加工技术中存在的问题并给予相应的解决方法,展望了南瓜加工技术的发展前景,旨在为南瓜加工业的发展和南瓜加工产品的开发提供参考。     

The role of meat as a source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the human diet

It is considered that consumption of very long chain (VLC, carbon chain length ?20) n − 3 PUFAs in most Western populations is sub-optimal and benefits in relation to chronic disease would be gained from increased consumption. This review examines the current contribution that meat makes to dietary intake of VLC n − 3 PUFA and given its current low contribution, how ruminant meat may be enriched. Enrichment both directly with VLC n − 3 fatty acids and indirectly by increasing intake by the animals of α-linolenic acid (ALNA; C18:3 n − 3) are considered. Since it now appears that dietary ALNA is a very limited source of VLC n − 3 PUFA in humans, the indirect route is controversial but since some forages are rich sources of ALNA this route has many sustainability and environmental attractions. Consideration is also given to the increased concentrations of trans and conjugated fatty acids that will arise from enriching ruminant meat with PUFA.     

南瓜多糖的提取工艺及其降糖作用的研究

本文介绍了南瓜多糖的提取方法及其组分与理化性质,并将提取的南瓜多糖用于动物实验,结果证实了南瓜多糖的降糖作用。说明南瓜多糖在糖尿病辅助治疗方面存在着非常重要的价值。     

南瓜中矿物质元素分析及功能特性研究

采用火焰原子吸收法对成熟南瓜瓜肉和瓜仁中的主要矿物质元素K、Ca、Mg、Na、Zn、Fe、Cu、Cr、Mn、Co等10种元素的含量进行了测定。结果表明,南瓜中矿物质元素含量极其丰富,含有大量的K,且Zn、Cr、Mn等含量也较高。同时分析了元素的功能特性,以期对进一步开发新的南瓜保健产品起指导作用。     

Emulsifying and structural properties of pectin enzymatically extracted from pumpkin

The present study investigated the emulsifying and structural properties of pectin enzymatically extracted from pumpkin. Pumpkin pectin fraction A was obtained from raw pumpkin with an enzymatic preparation of cellulase and α-amylase. Pumpkin pectin fraction B was achieved by treating the fraction A solution with pronase to reduce protein content. According to the findings (on protein content, galacturonic acid content, neutral sugar composition, and molecular weight distribution), the pronase treatment could remove protein from the fraction A without considerably influencing any other chemical and molecular properties. Moreover, the fraction A exhibited emulsifying properties in water and oil mixture, whereas the removal of protein in the fraction B resulted in the loss of emulsifying properties. The FT-IR and 1D NMR analysis revealed that the backbone of pumpkin pectin is mainly composed of α-1,4-d-galacturonic acid in which a considerable portion of galacturonic acid residues is present as methyl esters, and some l-rhamnose are involved in the linear region of the backbone through α-1,2-linkages.     

Antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibitory activities of pumpkin seed extracts

Pumpkin seeds have been implicated in providing health benefits. However their antioxidant or anti-inflammatory activity of their extracts has never been studied. Therefore, four commercially available pumpkin seeds were treated with two different extraction methodologies in order to obtain fractions with different content. The extracts were screened for their antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and for their inhibitory activity against lipid peroxidation catalyzed by soybean lipoxygenase.Most extracts tested have demonstrated radical scavenging activity, which depends on their total phenolic content, with fractions rich in phenolics showing the strongest activity. On the other hand, the phenolic content of extracts does not determine their activity against lipoxygenase, as acetone and polar lipid fractions are its strongest inhibitors. The presence of molecules being able to scavenge radicals and inhibit lipoxygenase in pumpkin seeds may in part explain the health benefits attributed to them.     

Structural Characteristics of Pumpkin Pectin Extracted by Microwave Heating

Abstract: To improve extraction yield of pumpkin pectin, microwave heating was adopted in this study. Using hot acid extraction, pumpkin pectin yield decreased from 5.7% to 1.0% as pH increased from pH 1.0 to 2.0. At pH 2.5, no pectin was recovered from pumpkin flesh powder. After a pretreatment at pH 1.0 and 25 °C for 1 h, pumpkin powder was microwave‐extracted at 120 °C for 3 min resulting in 10.5% of pectin yield. However, premicrowave treatment at 60 °C for 20 min did not improve extraction yield. When microwave heating at 80 °C for 10 min was applied after premicrowave treatment, final pectin yield increased to 11.3%. When pH was adjusted to 2.0, the yield dropped to 7.7% under the same extraction conditions. Molecular shape and properties as well as chemical composition of pumpkin pectin were significantly affected depending on extraction methods. Galacturonic acid content (51% to 58%) of pumpkin pectin was lower than that detected in commercial acid‐extracted citrus pectin, while higher content of neutral sugars and acetyl esters existed in pumpkin pectin structure. Molecular weight (M_w) and intrinsic viscosity (η_w) determined for microwave‐extracted pumpkin pectins were substantially lower than acid‐extracted pectin, whereas polydispersity was greater. However, microwave‐extracted pectin at pH 2.0 had more than 5 times greater M_w than did the pectin extracted at pH 1.0. The η_w of microwave‐extracted pectin produced at pH 2.0 was almost twice that of other microwave‐extracted pectins, which were comparable to that of acid‐extracted pectin. These results indicate that extraction yield of pumpkin pectin would be improved by microwave extraction and different pectin structure and properties can be obtained compared to acid extraction. Practical Application: Pumpkin is a promising alternative source for pectin material. Pumpkin pectin has a unique chemical structure and physical properties, presumably providing different functional properties compared to conventional commercial pectin sources. Depending on the conditions to produce pumpkin pectin, diverse molecular structures can be obtained and utilized in various food applications.     

Variability of vitamin E content in pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L)

Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seed oil is a common salad oil which is produced in the southern parts of Austria, Slovenia and Hungary. It is dark green and has a high content of free fatty acids. Due to its colour, the oil cannot be used for cooking. The content of vitamin E, especiallyγ-tocopherol, is very high. The oil content of the pumpkin seed is about 50%. The seed itself can be eaten. Therefore a pumpkin variety with high vitamin E content is desirable. The aim of this work was to find a variety ofCucurbita pepo which has a high oil yield and a high vitamin E content. A total of 100 breeding lines were tested for their tocopherol content. The tocopherols and tocotrienols are extracted with hexane and analysed by NP-HPLC/FLD with hexane/dioxan (96/4) as eluent, with fluorescence detection at 292/335 nm. The/gg-tocopherol content, which is about 5–10 times as much as that of α-tocopherol varies over a broad range (41–620 mg/kg dry pumpkin seeds).β- andδ-tocopherol are found at low levels.     

Isolation, characterization of melanin derived from Ophiocordyceps sinensis, an entomogenous fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau

Melanins are pigments of high molecular weight formed by oxidative polymerization of phenolic or indolic compounds. In this present study, a black pigment was isolated from the fermentation broth of Ophiocordyceps sinensis, an entomogenous fungus which is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau by alkaline extraction, acid hydrolysis, and repeated precipitation. It was designed as melanin since the physical and chemical properties including its ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) spectra of the black pigment conformed to the characteristic of melanin and similar to the commercial synthetic melanin. The antioxidant activity of melanin derived from O. sinensis was evaluated. They showed much stronger scavenging abilities on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and the chelating ability on ferrous ions than that of the water extract from the mycelia of O. sinensis, with IC₅₀ value 18.51 ± 0.85 μg/ml and 2.58 ± 0.26 μg/ml, separately. This is the first report of melanin from O. sinensis and will be helpful for the study on the physiology and the artificial cultivation of this fungus, an endangered species.     

Impact of processing on the functionalization of pumpkin pomace as a food texturizing ingredient

In the context of side-stream valorization, this study aimed to gain insight into the functionalization of industrially-generated pumpkin pomace as texturizing ingredient. Given the matrix complexity of pumpkin pomace, composed of crushed peels, seeds and mesocarp, this study focused on the impact of different sample preparation, as well as mechanical processing, on the microstructural and rheological properties of pumpkin pomace suspensions. Pumpkin pomace suspensions (4% w/w) possessed a solid-like behavior, demonstrating the potential for structure build-up. The application of heat during sample preparation (85°C, 30 min) significantly increased the storage modulus of the pumpkin pomace-derived suspensions, which was found to be related to an increased swelling volume of the suspended particles. Moreover, a combination of partial pectin removal and high pressure homogenization at 80 MPa led to improved network structure formation, as obvious from an increased storage modulus. These results are highly useful as scientific basis for exploring the texturizing potential of pumpkin pomace with minimal processing or conventional preparation methods (e.g. by heat treatment).     

Chemical composition and functional characterisation of commercial pumpkin seed oil

BACKGROUND: Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seed oil is a common product in Slovenia, Hungary and Austria and is considered a preventive agent for various pathologies, particularly prostate diseases. These properties are related to its high content of carotenoids and liposoluble vitamins. In this study the carotenoid (lutein and zeaxanthin), vitamin E (α‐ and γ‐tocopherol) and fatty acid contents of 12 samples of commercial pumpkin seed oil were investigated together with the composition of the volatile fraction resulting from the roasting process. RESULTS: The aromatic profile obtained from the commercial samples was directly related to the intensity of the roasting process of the crushed pumpkin seeds. The roasting temperature played a crucial role in the concentrations of volatile substances originating from Strecker degradation, lipid peroxidation and Maillard reaction. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that high‐temperature roasting leads to the production of an oil with intense aromatic characteristics, while mild conditions, generally employed to obtain an oil with professed therapeutic characteristics, lead to a product with minor characteristic pumpkin seed oil aroma. The nutraceutical properties of the product are confirmed by the high content of α‐ and γ‐tocopherol and carotenoids. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

不同产地南瓜籽油组成及氧化稳定性的差异

以我国8 个不同产地南瓜籽为原料,压榨制备南瓜籽油,对比分析不同南瓜籽油的组成和氧化稳定性。结果表明,南瓜籽油主要含有棕榈酸、硬脂酸、油酸、亚油酸4 种脂肪酸,不饱和脂肪酸含量占80.565%～84.964%,总酚含量为167.21～204.50 mg/kg,总甾醇含量为1 204.38～1 604.51 mg/kg,α-生育酚含量为25.7～58.7 mg/kg,γ-生育酚含量为1 839.8～2 728.3 mg/kg,δ-生育酚含量为248.8～518.7 mg/kg。Pearson双变量相关性分析表明,总酚与极性组分自由基清除能力有显著相关性（P＜0.05）,α-生育酚等油脂伴随物也发挥了一定的抗氧化作用。主成分分析和聚类分析的结果显示：不同产地的南瓜籽油功能性成分相似,由于含量差别显示出具有显著差异的2 个集群,甘肃省白银市产的南瓜籽油综合评分最高。本研究对南瓜籽资源的开发利用具有一定的指导意义。     

Effect of low temperatures (-18 to +5°C) on the texture of beef lean

The textural properties of beef over the temperature range −18 to +5 °C were measured using Warner Bratzler (WB) and tensile techniques. In addition, the effects of rapid radio frequency (RF) tempering and slower conventional air tempering on texture were compared. Temperature showed a significant effect (P < 0.05) on WB and tensile shear force, with higher values obtained at temperatures on or below −5 °C. Work to fracture values showed two peaks at −15 and −3 °C. Sample thickness and muscle fibre direction were also important factors affecting shear force, with samples cut across fibres showing higher values. Tempering method showed no effect (P ? 0.05) on the textural properties measured. In light of the rapid nature of RF tempering, these findings will be of interest to the meat industry.