Pumpkin Seeds: Phenolic Acids in Pumpkin Seed (Cucurbita pepo L.)

Abstract Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) is a widely cultivated vegetable used for human consumption and in traditional medicine. Extracts (from different parts of the plant) contain biologically active components which show antidiabetic, antibacterial, hypocholesterolemic, antioxidant, anticancer, antimutagenic, immunomodulatory, anthelmintic, anti–bladder stone activity, and other miscellaneous effects. In last few decades, interest for polyphenols in oilseeds is growing because they represent health-promoting substances because of their antioxidant properties. However, until recently, the literature about the presence of phenolic compounds in pumpkin Cucurbita pepo L. was scarce. The most abundant phenolic acid present in pumpkin is p-hydroxybenzoic acid, but the presence of other phenolics such as caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic acid, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde is also confirmed. The content of bound phenolic acids (esterified and insoluble) is generally higher than the free phenolic acids content. Usage of extracts rich in ester-bound phenolic acids (omitting the hydrolysis step) could enable new food and cosmetic formulations with their easier integration into oily matrixes.