Comparing the differences in quality profiles and antioxidant activity in seven pumpkin cultivars (Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima) at harvest and during postharvest storage

Yingchao Xu; Manman Wang; Hafiz Muhammad Khalid Abbas; Shudan Xue; Jitong Zhu; Qitao Meng; Qingmin Jin; Manqin Fu; Shuping Qu; Yujuan Zhong

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101383

Comparing the differences in quality profiles and antioxidant activity in seven pumpkin cultivars (Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima) at harvest and during postharvest storage

Food Chem X. 2024 Apr 15:22:101383. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101383. eCollection 2024 Jun 30.

Authors

Yingchao Xu¹, Manman Wang^{1

2}, Hafiz Muhammad Khalid Abbas¹, Shudan Xue¹, Jitong Zhu¹, Qitao Meng¹, Qingmin Jin¹, Manqin Fu³, Shuping Qu⁴, Yujuan Zhong¹

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Key Laboratory for New Technology Research of Vegetables, Vegetable Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
² Jiangsu Yanjiang Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu 226012, China.
³ Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Northeast Agricultural University, College of Horticulture and Landscape, Northeast Agricultural University, Heilongjiang, Harbin 150030, China.

Abstract

Pumpkin, nutritious vegetable, is renowned for its extended shelf life. In this study, seven pumpkin cultivars from Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima were comparatively characterized for 25 physiochemical quality factors, starch granule structures, antioxidant activity, and correlations at 0-60 days of postharvest (dop). The findings revealed that sucrose and carotenoid contents increased in C. moschata, while they initially increased and then decreased in C. maxima. Additionally, acidity, primarily driven by malic acid, decreased in C. maxima but increased in C. maxima. The starch content of C. moschata and C. maxima reached its maximum value at 30 dop and 20 dop, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity correlated with the carotenoid content in both pumpkin species. Conclusively, C. moschata demonstrated improved nutritional and quality at 20-30 dop, while C. maxima exhibited higher commercial suitability at 10-20 dop. The findings suggested that pumpkin storage was crucial for quality improvement.

Keywords: Cucurbita maxima; Cucurbita moschata; DPPH; Fruit quality; Postharvest.