FUW TRENDS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL

(A Peer Review Journal)
e–ISSN: 2408–5162; p–ISSN: 2048–5170

FUW TRENDS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL

EVALUATION OF PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENT OF SUN-DRIED AND OVEN-DRIED RIPE PULPS OF Cucurbita pepo L. CULTIVARS AND Citrullus lanatus THUNB
Pages: 327-331
C.D.U. Nwokwu, A.I. Ukoha and C. Imo


keywords: Nigeria, oven-dried, phytochemicals, pulp, pumpkin, sun-dried, water melon

Abstract

This study investigated the fundamental scientific basis for the use of three common cucurbits (two cultivars of Cucurbita pepo (smooth-rind and coarse-rind varieties) and Citrullus lanatus) by screening and quantifying the percentage of selected phytochemical constituents in thesun-dried and oven-dried fruit pulps. Qualitative analysis revealed the presence of all bioactive constituents in both dried forms of the three fruit samples, but tannins were not detected. Quantitative estimation (%) of the sun-dried pulps [alkaloids (3.84±0.23; 2.83±0.71; 1.97±0.05);saponins (1.24±0.09; 1.58±0.21; 0.6±0.07); and flavonoids (13.60±0.57; 12.78±0.53; 16.75±1.06)] of smooth C. pepo, coarse C. pepo and C. lanatus, respectively, showed a significant (p<0.05) reductive trend upon thermal application [alkaloids (1.69±0.02; 1.47±0.05; 1.15±0.07); saponins (0.84±0.05; 0.98±0. 07; 0.37±0.09) and flavonoids (9.25±1.06; 8.48±1.24; 11.98±0.53)], but differences were not significant for saponins (p> 0.05). The findings confirm that the three cucurbits are very good sources ofthermolabile phytochemicals, with inherent nutritional, medicinal and chemoprotective prospects, thus, propping pumpkin as a cheaper, and even more beneficial alternative to be massively grown in Nigeria’s Southern tropical forests.

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