Abstract
The effects of germination, boiling and defatting on selected chemical and nutritional properties of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook) seeds were investigated. The protein quality of the seeds was evaluated using weanling rats fed diets which were formulated to supply 10% dietary protein using ungerminated raw full-fat (URF), ungerminated raw defatted (URD), ungerminated boiled full-fat (UBF), ungerminated boiled defatted (UBD), germinated raw full-fat (GRF), germinated raw defatted (GRD), germinated boiled full-fat (GBF), and germinated boiled defatted (GBD) seeds, with casein (CAS) as a control. Combining germination, boiling and defatting proved more effective than combining germination and boiling, germination and defatting or boiling and defatting, for increasing in vitro protein digestibility and decreasing the levels of polyphenols and phytic acid. The weight gains of rats fed diets GBD (12.09 g) and UBD (8.12 g) were similar and significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of rats fed diets UBF (4.00 g) and GBF (6.15 g), indicating a superior growth-promoting quality of diets contzining boiled and defatted seeds. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between the values obtained for protein efficiency ratio, net protein ratio, apparent digestibility and true digestibility of diet GBD and caseiri, suggesting an improvement of the nutritional value of fluted pumpkin seeds by germination, boiling and defatting.
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Giami, S.Y. Nutritional evaluation of germinated fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook) seeds. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 58, 1–9 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:QUAL.0000040313.58273.e5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:QUAL.0000040313.58273.e5