Pumpkin Seeds, Oil, and Flour in Functional Foods: Effects of Processing on Composition, Techno‐Functional Performance, and Therapeutic Aspects

Pumpkin seeds ( Cucurbita spp.) are nutrient‐dense by‐products, rich in proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds, and are therefore a promising functional ingredient for sustainable food systems. Pumpkin seed flour (PSF) maintains high nutritional quality from the whole seeds and expresses desirable techno‐functional features, including high water‐ and oil‐holding capacities, swelling ability, foaming potential, and gelation behavior, making it a natural fat replacer in bakery, meat, and dairy‐analog formulations. Cold‐ or hot‐pressed pumpkin seed oil is rich in tocopherols, carotenoids, phytosterols, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, supporting cardioprotective, antioxidant, and metabolic health benefits. This review synthesizes recent advances on nutritional composition, impacts of processing, techno‐functional features, therapeutic potentials, and emerging applications of pumpkin seeds, their oil, and PSF. The main limitations of current research concern poor standardization among cultivars, changeability due to processing, and the need for clinical confirmation of putative health benefits. Pumpkin seed‐derived ingredients are versatile, health‐promoting, and sustainable components for next‐generation functional foods and reduced‐fat formulations.