engleski

EVALUATION OF QUALITY AND SAFETY OF VIRGIN AND COLD PRESSED PUMPKIN (Cucurbita pepo L.) SEED OILS

Pumpkin seed oil is a high value product produced in various EU regions like southeastern Austria, eastern Slovenia and northwestern Croatia. It is traditionally produced as virgin oil through the process that includes roasting of seeds Cucurbita pepo L. at 110-150 °C. Lately, cold pressed variant of pumpkin seed oil has also appeared on the market. In general, pumpkin seed oil is well recognized for its' nutritional value, which is due to the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and various non-triacylglycerol compounds such as phytosterols, tocopherols, squalene, etc. Financially demanding production as well as great market image of pumpkin seed oil are also accompained by its high pricing. In this work, the overall quality of pumpkin seed oils which included free fatty acid content, peroxide value, fatty acid and sensory profile, related to the quality and customer rights assurance, was evaluated. Also due to the possibility of production process contamination of pumpkin seed oil with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), especially in the oils produced with roasting, content of 16 PAH was determined. 136 pumpkin seed oil samples originating from Croatia, Slovenia and Austria were analysed, among which there were 116 virgin and 20 cold pressed pumpkin seed oils. Overall results showed satisfying quality and safety of analyzed samples that coresponded to the EU and national regulation. On the other hand in some samples, Σ4 PAHs and benzo(a)pirene content were higher then the values specified by the regulations which calls for attention and further monitoring.

Quality, safety, pumpkin seed oil, fatty acid profile, PAH

nije evidentirano