Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenol Content of Steamed Pumpkin (Cucurbita Moschata) Flour with Skin Colour Variations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of three steamed pumpkin flour: the steamed yellow-yellow, brown-orange, and the steamed green-white pumpkin which derived from Cucurbita moschata, one of the multipurpose pumpkin plant in Indonesia. Steamed pumpkin flour was developed by steaming, sun-drying and milling. The DPPH method was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the steamed pumpkin flour, while the Folin–Ciocalteu method was performed to measure the total phenolic content and expressed as Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE). Purple steamed flour pumpkin had the highest antioxidant activity (4.87%) anticoagulant activity and phenolic content (0.268 mg GAE/g) followed by brown-orange and green-white steamed flour pumpkin (0.23% and 0%) and phenolic content (0.256 mg GAE/g and 0.166 mg GAE/g) respectively. These differences were because of genetic variation and processing conditions, with bright colored pumpkins yielded higher carotenoid and phenolic content. The steamed pumpkin flour possess great potentiality for use in different food products since they can essentially be considered as a functional food ingredient and the processing conditions and variety selection should be optimized for maximizing their bioactivity.