ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to assess the effect of fermentation period on the chemical properties of fluted pumpkin seeds. Fluted pumpkin seeds were processed as unfermented and fermented seeds and then ground into paste. These were divided into five categories, each weighed two hundred and fifty grams (250g), the first category was kept as control (unfermented seeds) while the other four categories were kept as the fermented samples. The fermented samples were collected from the seventh, eighth, ninth and the fourteenth day which was the end of fermentation period. Results show that moisture content, crude protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrate, and dry matter content ranged between 39.54-, 42.22%, 21.51-24.63%, 24.19-26.77%, 1.70-1.93%, 2.08-2.32%, 4.95-8.18%, and 57.78-60.46%,  respectively while the energy values ranged between 1397.81Kcal/100g to 1495.24Kcal/100g. The samples of pumpkin seed analyzed were also observed to contain high amount of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and a trace amount of iron, selenium, copper, iodine, manganese and zinc. Beta carotene, vitamin B9 and vitamin C were quantitatively found to be the major vitamin constituent of the samples. Other vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 were found in trace amount in the samples of fluted pumpkin seed analyzed. In addition, all the samples analyzed contained tannin, saponion, flavonoid, oxalate, alkaloid and hydrogencyanide in some relatively small amount and ranged between 0.13-0.38mg/100g, 0.18-0.61mg/100g, 0.09-0.44mg/100g, 0.10-0.67mg/100g, 0.13-0.41mg/100g, and 0.19-0.84mg/100g,  respectively. Result showed that the concentrations of all the antinutrients present in the samples of fluted pumpkin seed reduced significantly (p<0.05) with an increase in the duration of fermentation days. This reduction in concentration in the fermented fluted pumpkin sample might be due to the method of fermentation procedure. Therefore fermentation is observed to reduce the antinutrient present in fluted pumpkin seed.