Effect of drying on selected proximate composition of fresh and processed fruits and seeds of two pumpkin species

Studies were conducted at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya to investigate the effect of drying on the proximate composition of crude fibre, crude fat and carbohydrates of two species of pumpkins namely, C. moschata and C. maxima in the year 2006. the treatments comprised fruits with rind and those without rind (fruit pulp), whole seeds and seed kernels, and raw and dry samples (flour). The experimental design was completely randomized and data analysis was by Genstat package. Proximate composition of raw C. moschata fruit with rind was 87.9% moisture (fresh weight), 4.9g/100g crude protein and 6.7g/100g crude ash. The corresponding values of C. maxima were 87.0/100g, 3.9g/100g and 6.9g/100g on dry weight basis. C. moschata with rind contained significantly (P <0.05) higher crude fat than C. moschata seeds. The results also showed that there was significantly (P< 0.05) more crude protein in C. maxima than C. moschata. Similar results were obtained for moisture content. The conclusion is that pumpkin seeds are rich in protein and both species of pumpkin contain high moisture content in their fruits, yielding a dry matter of approximately 12% on dehydration. Pumpkin seeds contain low moisture levels of 5.7% -6.1% making them be stored for longer duration.Pumpkin seeds are a better source of protein hence contributes substantially to the dietary human nutrition. Crude ash content of pumpkin fruits was higher than that for seeds showing that mineral intake in the diet can be enhanced by increasing the consumption of pumpkin fruits.