Hull-less pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo var. styriaca) enriched functional pasta: Technofunctional, phytochemical, sensory, textural and structural characterization

Hull-less pumpkin seeds (PAU Magaz Kadoo 1), the first of their kind in Indian history, have not yet been evaluated for their nutritional composition and potential for making functional foods.The influence of semolina replacement with raw and roasted hull-less pumpkin seed powder (HPSP) at 10-30% level was evaluated for nutritional, technofunctional, phytochemical, textural, and structural characteristics of functional pasta.Results showed that incorporation of HPSP significantly (p<0.05)increased the protein (14.88%), fibre (5.08%), ash (2.72%), fat (9.87%) content, antioxidant activity (31.13%), total phenols, flavonoids and total carotenoid content.The mineral content, i.e., iron (4.58%), zinc (5.04), calcium (39.21) and fatty acids like palmitic (2.96%), stearic (2.16%), oleic acid (15.14%) enhanced in HPSP supplemented pasta as compared to the control.Result of quality parameters revealed that the minimal cooking time, the pasta's capacity to absorb water, and its capacity to expand in volume were reduced when HPSP was added, but the cooking loss increased noticeably.Addition of HPSP significantly reduced the lightness (L*) and increase the greenness (a*) of the pasta owing to total chlorophyll pigment.Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy further confirmed the presence of flavonoids, phenols and chlorophyll in HPSP-incorporated pasta.Sensory data revealed that pasta containing 30% of HPSP was acceptable with the overall acceptability score of 8.8.