CyTA - Journal of Food

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Antioxidant potential of phytochemicals in

pumpkin varieties belonging to Cucurbita moschata
and Cucurbita pepo species

Bartosz Kulczyński, Andrzej Sidor & Anna Gramza-Michałowska

To cite this article: Bartosz Kulczyński, Andrzej Sidor & Anna Gramza-Michałowska
(2020) Antioxidant potential of phytochemicals in pumpkin varieties belonging to
Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita pepo species, CyTA - Journal of Food, 18:1, 472-484, DOI:
10.1080/19476337.2020.1778092

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/19476337.2020.1778092

© 2020 The Author(s). Published with

license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Published online: 09 Jul 2020.

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CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD
2020, VOL. 18, NO. 1, 472–484
https://doi.org/10.1080/19476337.2020.1778092

Antioxidant potential of phytochemicals in pumpkin varieties belonging to

Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita pepo species
Bartosz Kulczyński , Andrzej Sidor and Anna Gramza-Michałowska
Department of Gastronomy Sciences and Functional Foods, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznań,
Poland

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Pumpkin is a genus of plants belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family comprising several species, the Received 27 April 2020
most common of which are Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkins are Accepted 27 May 2020
characterized by a high content of carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds, mineral components, and KEYWORDS
vitamin C. The level of bioactive compounds is affected by the pumpkin cultivar, which determines Pumpkin; Cucurbita pepo;
its antioxidant properties. In this study, the antioxidant potential of 19 pumpkin cultivars of Cucurbita moschata;
Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata species was determined and compared using ABTS, DPPH, antioxidant activity; radicals;
FRAP, chelating activity and ORAC assay. Results of the study confirmed the high diversity of ORAC; cluster analysis;
pumpkin cultivars in terms of their antioxidant activity. It was also shown that the antioxidant polyphenols
activity is more affected by the type of cultivar than by the pumpkin species. The obtained results
PALABRAS CLAVE
indicate that cultivars such as ‘Delicata’, ‘Baby Boo’, ‘Cream of the Crop’ were characterized by calabaza; Cucurbita pepo;
particularly high antioxidant activity. Cucurbita moschata;
actividad antioxidante;
radicales; ORAC; análisis de
Potencial antioxidante de los fitoquímicos en las variedades de calabaza per­ clústeres; polifenoles
tenecientes a las especies Cucurbita moschata y Cucurbita pepo
RESUMEN
La calabaza es un género de plantas perteneciente a la familia de las Cucurbitáceas y comprende
varias especies, de las cuales las más comunes son Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo y Cucurbita
moschata. Las calabazas se caracterizan por su alto contenido de carotenoides, compuestos
polifenólicos, componentes minerales y vitamina C. El nivel de compuestos bioactivos se ve
afectado por el cultivar de la calabaza, que determina sus propiedades antioxidantes. El presente
estudio buscó especificar el potencial antioxidante de 19 cultivares de calabaza de las especies
Cucurbita pepo y Cucurbita moschata, utilizándose ABTS, DPPH, FRAP, la actividad quelante y el
ensayo ORAC para efectuar la comparación. Los resultados del estudio confirmaron la alta diversi­
dad de cultivares de calabaza en cuanto a su actividad antioxidante. Además, se constató que la
actividad antioxidante se ve más afectada por el tipo de cultivar que por la especie de calabaza. Los
resultados obtenidos indican que cultivares como “Delicata”, “Baby Boo”, “Cream of the Crop”
presentaron una actividad antioxidante particularmente alta.

1. Introduction results of the studies indicate that a diet rich in components

Cucurbitaceae is a wide family of plants with about 130 genera
and as many as 800 species (Oyeleke et al., 2019). Among them
there are several species of pumpkins (Cucurbita), the most
popular of which are: Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo and
Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkins are widely used in the culinary
arts. Many different parts of the plant are edible, e.g., flowers,
leaves, fruits, peel, seeds. Pumpkin is eaten raw and also in the
form of preserves, such as soups, smoothies, juices. Pumpkin
flesh is also used as an additive to bread, cakes, cookies,
chocolates, candies (Kim et al., 2012). The popularity of pump­
kins results, inter alia, from the fact that their fruits do not
accumulate contaminants e.g., from the soil. Therefore, com­
pared to other vegetables, pumpkin flesh is characterized by
a very low, trace level of heavy metals (Zhou et al., 2016a). In
addition, pumpkin is a source of antioxidants (such as poly­
phenols and carotenoids), which is particularly important for
our health (Peiretti et al., 2017; Saavedra et al., 2015). The
with high antioxidant potential contributes to the reduction of
the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, cancer (Aune
et al., 2018) and Diabetes mellitus (Hamer & Chida, 2007).
Antioxidant compounds (including bioactive compounds con­
tained e.g., in pumpkin seeds) can also reduce blood glucose
levels in animals with impaired carbohydrate metabolism
(Meineri et al., 2018; Salvador et al., 2017). The consumption
of antioxidants is associated with a reduction in the risk of
neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (Li
et al., 2012). Moreover, oxidative stress, resulting from, inter
alia, reduced antioxidants content in the body, can lead to the
development of depression (Liu et al., 2015), eye diseases (Kruk
et al., 2015) and osteoporosis (Zhou et al., 2016b). Therefore,
the inclusion in the diet of various products with high antiox­
idant potential, such as vegetables (Carlsen et al., 2010; Ou
et al., 2002), fruit (Gramza-Michałowska et al., 2019; Harasym
& Oledzki, 2014), tea (Gramza-Michałowska et al., 2015; Peluso

CONTACT Anna Gramza-Michałowska anna.gramza@up.poznan.pl Department of Gastronomy Sciences and Functional Foods, Faculty of Food Science
and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznań 60–624, Poland
© 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

& Serafini, 2017), spices (Carlsen et al., 2010; Kulczyński &
Gramza-Michałowska, 2016), fermented products (Gramza-
Michałowska et al., 2016; Melini et al., 2019), meat (Karre
et al., 2013; Kulczyński & Gramza-Michałowska, 2019a), is an
important element in good health maintaining. In addition,
different pumpkin parts can be used in food technology. For
example, Longato et al. (2017) showed that pumpkin seeds can
improve cooking characteristics of chicken burgers and
increase the stability of lipids during storage.
In previous studies we demonstrated that pumpkin is
a source of many bioactive compounds. It is particularly
rich in carotenoids (beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein), phe­
nolic acids, flavonoles. It also contains potassium and vita­
min C. It demonstrated that alpha- and gamma-tocopherol
and smaller amounts of other minerals (e.g., calcium,
sodium, magnesium, iron) in the examined pumpkin culti­
vars. A large variation in the content of individual bioactive
compounds was observed in pumpkin varieties belonging to
the species Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita
moschata (Kulczyński & Gramza-Michałowska, 2019b, 2019c).
On the basis of the results obtained, we suggested that
these pumpkins will also differ significantly in their antiox­
idant activity.
In order to confirm this hypothesis, in this study we
performed a series of chemical analyses allowing for
a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of the antiox­
idant potential of particular pumpkin cultivars. We deter­
mined the antioxidant activity of water and methanol-
water pumpkin extracts in the following tests: DPPH, ABTS,
FRAP, chelating activity, ORAC.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Chemicals
All reagents (Iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate, Iron (III) chloride
hexahydrate, Iron (II) sulfate heptahydrate, 2,2′-Azino-bis
(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt
(ABTS), 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) 2,2ʹ-Azobis
(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH),
3-(2-Pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine-4′,4′′-disulfonic
acid sodium salt (Ferrozine), Fluorescein sodium salt,
(±)-6-Hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic
acid (Trolox), Folin-Ciocalteu’s phenol reagent, 2,4,6-Tris
(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine (TPTZ), Ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid (EDTA), Gallic acid, Acetic acid, Hydrochloric acid,
Sodium acetate trihydrate, Sodium carbonate, Sodium
phosphate monobasic dehydrate, Sodium phosphate
monobasic dehydrate, Potassium persulfate, Potassium
phosphate dibasic were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich
(Germany).
2.2. Sample collection
Sample: The flesh of 19 pumpkin cultivars of two species was
used in the study: Cucurbita pepo (‘Spaghetti’, ‘Lil’ Pump-ke-mon’,
‘Jack Be Little’, ‘Orangita’, ‘Casperita’, ‘Snow Ball’, ‘Baby Boo’,
‘Delicata’, ‘Miranda’, ‘Table Queen’, ‘Table Gold’, ‘Festival’,
‘Cream of the Crop’) and Cucurbita moschata (‘Butternut’,
‘Butterkin’, ‘Shishigatani’, ‘Yuxijiangbinggua’, ‘Orange
Butternut’, ‘Futsu’). Pumpkins originated from the Valley of
Mogilnica Organic Farming Products Cooperative (Wolkowo,
Poland). Pumpkins were harvested between October and
CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD 473
November (2016) when they reached maturity., then transported
to the laboratory and prepared for further analysis (purified and
lyophilized). Pending its use in chemical analysis, the samples
were stored at room temperature with no access to oxygen and
light. All chemical analyses for each pumpkin were performed in
triplicate.
2.3. Extraction
To prepare the extracts, 5 g of lyophilized pumpkin flesh was
weighed out and extracted in 50 ml of solvent (m/v ratio
1:10). Two types of solvents were used: water and methanol:
water (80%). The samples were shaken in a water bath (SBSR
22 N) at 70°C for 2 hours. After extraction, the samples were
centrifuged (4000 rpm/10 min) and filtered. The samples
were extracted in triplicates. The extracts prepared in this
way were used to measure antioxidant properties and total
polyphenols content.
2.4. Share of individual plant elements
In order to determine the content of the various parts of the
fruit (flesh, peel, seeds), the pumpkin was peeled and the
seeds were separated from the flesh. All parts of the pump­
kin were weighed to three decimal places and their percen­
tage was calculated. The results were given as an average of
three independent measurements.
2.5. Color of pumpkin flesh
The color of pumpkin flesh was evaluated using Chroma
Meter CR-410 (Konica Minolta Sensing Inc., Japan). In order
to determine the color of the pumpkin, a homogeneous
pulp was prepared from the flesh. The values of L*a*b
were determined for each sample (L – color brightness; a –
color in the range from green to red: positive values indicate
the proportion of red, and negative values – green; b – color
from blue to yellow: positive values indicate the proportion
of yellow, and negative values – blue). The analysis was
performed in triplicates.
2.6. Moisture content
Dry mass was determined by the drying method. For this
purpose, 1 g ± 0.001 g of fresh pumpkin flesh was
weighed and then dried at 105°C to constant weight (so
that the sample mass between measurements did not
differ by more than 0.004 g). Each sample was analyzed
in triplicate.
2.7. Determination of active acidity
Active acidity (pH) was determined by potentiometric
method using a pH meter (CP-401, Elmetron, Poland). Each
sample was measured in triplicate.
2.8. Antioxidant potential
Determination of antioxidant activity using synthetic DPPH
radical (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil) was performed accord­
ing to the method developed by Brand-Williams et al. (1995).
Absorbance of solutions was measured after 20 minutes of
incubation at room temperature and darkened place at
474 B. KULCZYŃSKI ET AL.
wavelength λ = 517 nm. The determinations were performed
in triplicates. The result was expressed as mg Trolox/100 g
dry matter.
Anti-radical properties of pumpkin extracts were deter­
mined by testing their ability to reduce ABTS•+ cation radi­
cals according to the methodology described by Re et al.
(1999). The degree of reduction of ABTS•+ cation radicals
was determined spectrophotometrically at wavelength
λ = 734 nm after 6-minute incubation of extracts with
ABTS and K2S2O8 solution. The determinations were per­
formed in triplicates. The result was expressed as mg
Trolox/100 g dry matter.
Total polyphenols content (TPC) in the extracts was deter­
mined colorimetrically using Folin-Cioacalteu reagent
according to the method developed by Horwitz (1970). The
absorbance of the prepared solution was measured at
λ = 725 nm. The results were presented as equivalent to
the concentration of gallic acid in mg/100 g dm (mg GAE/
100 g dm). The determinations were performed in triplicates.
The ability of extracts to reduce iron (III) ions was deter­
mined according to the method described by Benzie and
Strain (1999). In order to determine the reducing power,
acetate buffer (pH = 3.6), TPTZ solution (10 mM in 40 mM
HCl) and FeCl3x6H2O solution (20 mM) were prepared and
mixed by volume at a ratio of 10:1:1. A sample was added to
the prepared mixture and then incubated at 37°C for 4 min­
utes. The decrease in absorbance of Fe3+-TPTZ complex was
measured spectrophotometrically at wavelength λ = 593 nm.
The result was expressed in mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm The
determinations were performed in triplicates.
The ability to chelate Fe (II) ions was determined by
spectrophotometric method using ferrozine (5 mM) and
ferric chloride (2 mM), according to the method developed
by Decker and Welch (1990). The measurement of the absor­
bance of the Fe (II) – ferrozine complex was measured at
λ = 562 nm. The result was expressed as μg EDTA/100 g dm
The determination was performed in triplicates.
The determination of oxygen radicals absorbance capa­
city was carried out according to the method described by
Ou et al. (2002). The measurement of the fluorescence
decrease of a molecular probe (fluorescein) was measured
with a spectrofluorimeter (Hitachi F-2700) at excitation
wavelength λ = 493 nm and emission wavelength
λ = 515 nm. The result was expressed as μmol Trolox/g dm
The determinations were made in triplicates.
2.9. Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis of the results was performed in the
STATISTICA 13.1 programme (StatSoft. Inc. Poland). In order
to detect the occurrence of statistically significant differ­
ences, the analysis of variance was performed. The analysis
of multiple comparisons was performed by means of post
hoc NIR tests. The differences were considered statistically
significant for p < .05. Pearson’s linear correlation coefficients
(p = .05; p = .01; p = .001) for antioxidant activity and total
polyphenols content in the pumpkin cultivars obtained in
various tests were calculated. In the correlation analysis we
also included the results of chemical analyzes regarding the
content of bioactive compounds (carotenoids, tocopherols,
phenolic acids, flavonols, vitamin C and selected minerals) in
individual pumpkin varieties. Hierarchical cluster analysis
was performed using the Ward’s method.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. General characteristics of pumpkin cultivars
The general characteristics of the pumpkin cultivars tested is
presented on Table 1. For most of the pumpkins, the flesh
had a distinct orange color. The flesh of yellow color was
found for the cultivars: ‘Delicata’, ‘Miranda’, ‘Shishigatani’
and ‘Yuxijiangbinggua’. In turn, ‘Casperita’, ‘Baby Boo’ and
‘Snow Ball’ pumpkins contained white flesh. On the basis of
the color measurement carried out with the use of the
colorimetric method, a wide variation in the range of the
obtained results for L (52.00–71.98), a (−5.44–30.84) and
b (29.24–51.84) parameters can be observed. Other studies
also found differences in the color range between pumpkins
belonging to three species – Cucurbita maxima (L = 36.08,
a = 3.30, b = 17.60), Cucurbita pepo (32.67, a = −0.13,
b = 1.68) and Cucurbita moschata (L = 35.58, a = 0.52,
b = 11.24) (Zhou et al., 2017). The highest acidity was
found for ‘Baby Boo’ (pH = 5.52) and ‘Jack Be Little’
(pH = 5.54). The lowest acidity was observed in ‘Futsu’
(pH = 6.48), ‘Orangita’ (pH = 6.37) and ‘Shishigatani’
(pH = 6.31) cultivars. Research conducted by Zhou et al.
(2017) showed similar pH values for pumpkin pulp juice.
For the following species, the pH was respectively:
Cucurbita maxima (6.88), Cucurbita pepo (5.91) and
Cucurbita moschata (6.09). The following cultivars were char­
acterized by the highest dry matter content: ‘Delicata’
(17.03%), ‘Futsu’ (16.95%), ‘Baby Boo’ (15.43%) and
‘Shishigatani’ (14.94%). Low levels of dry matter were
found in ‘Miranda’ (3.99%), ‘Snow Ball’ (5.47%), ‘Jack Be
Little’ (7.06%), ‘Spaghetti’ (7.28%) and ‘Yuxijiangbinggua’
(7.29%) cultivars. Kim et al. (2012) reported that the content
of the dry matter of pumpkin flesh was as follows: Cucurbita
pepo (3.32%), Cucurbita moschata (5.77%) and Cucurbita
maxima (15.96%). The pumpkin cultivars studied showed
different content of flesh, seeds and peel. The seeds content
ranged from 2.39 to 8.76%. The highest flesh content was
found in ‘Table Queen’ (83.64%), ‘Yuxijiangbinggua’ (82.59%)
and ‘Butterkin’ (82.26%) cultivars. The lowest flesh content
was noted for ‘Casperita’ (57.31%), ‘Jack Be Little’ (58.73%),
‘Futsu’ (61.48%) and ‘Baby Boo’ (63.33%). Zhou et al. (2017)
showed that the pulp content of pumpkin varied depending
on the variety. It was observed that the edible rate was as
follows: Cucurbita maxima – 82.98%, Cucurbita pepo –
79.35% and Cucurbita moscata – 83.21%.
3.2. Comparison of the antioxidant activity of selected
extracts various pumpkin cultivars
ABTS Radical Scavenging: Studies conducted in the ABTS
cation radical test showed that ‘Baby Boo’ cultivar (C. pepo)
exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (Table 2). These
observations were found both in water (164 mg Trolox/100 g
dm) and methanol-water extracts (189 mg Trolox/100 g dm).
Among the examined pumpkins belonging to C. pepo,
strong antioxidant properties were also found in the follow­
ing cultivars: ‘Lil’ Pump-ke-mon’, ‘Delicata’, ‘Jack Be Little’.
High ability to scavenge cation radicals was also demon­
strated among C. moschata pumpkins: ‘Butterkin’ and
‘Shishigatani’. The following cultivars were characterized by
low antioxidant properties: ‘Futsu’, ‘Orangita’, ‘Snow Ball’ and
‘Table Queen’. A significant difference in antioxidant activity
Table 1. General characteristics of examined pumpkin cultivars.
Tabla 1. Características generales de los cultivares de calabaza examinados.
Flesh colour Share of individual pumpkin fruits elements
pH of pulp Dry matter content in the pulp Skin content Seeds content Pulp content
Species Pumpkin cultivars Shape Description L a b juice (%) (%) (%) (%)
Cucurbita Butternut pear-shaped orange 55.21 ± 2.47 22.44 ± 0.52 47.76 ± 0.93 5.78 ± 0.03 12.78 ± 0.70 18.41 ± 2.35 3.67 ± 0.69 77.92 ± 1.89
moschata Butterkin round, flattened orange 55.51 ± 1.34 30.84 ± 1.10 47.04 ± 0.89 6.10 ± 0.03 11.14 ± 0.83 13.49 ± 2.08 4.26 ± 0.73 82.26 ± 1.92
Shishigatani elongated, narrowed in the middle yellow 62.77 ± 0.83 12.72 ± 1.31 53.65 ± 0.97 6.31 ± 0.04 14.94 ± 1.12 23.52 ± 3.11 2.39 ± 0.39 74.08 ± 3.47
Yuxijiangbinggua round, clearly flattened irregular, folded yellow 62.89 ± 1.69 8.35 ± 0.88 46.17 ± 0.37 5.94 ± 0.03 7.29 ± 1.04 15.00 ± 3.53 2.41 ± 0.18 82.59 ± 3.69
skin
Orange Butternut pear-shaped orange 56.92 ± 0.59 27.42 ± 1.21 46.26 ± 0.61 6.05 ± 0.06 8.42 ± 0.47 19.91 ± 2.53 2.91 ± 0.69 77.18 ± 2.89
Futsu round, slightly flattened orange 52.00 ± 1.57 29.70 ± 1.02 44.03 ± 0.60 6.48 ± 0.05 16.95 ± 0.65 36.00 ± 2.53 2.52 ± 0.55 61.48 ± 2.19
Cucurbita pepo Spaghetti elongated, bright 64.42 ± 2.10 1.43 ± 0.15 43.97 ± 1.00 6.11 ± 0.04 7.28 ± 0.80 19.91 ± 3.52 3.59 ± 0.54 76.50 ± 3.84
orange
Lil’ Pump-ke-mon round, slightly flattened orange 65.35 ± 1.74 6.49 ± 0.87 46.66 ± 0.77 5.76 ± 0.03 11.74 ± 0.55 24.68 ± 2.43 4.59 ± 1.14 70.73 ± 2.81
Jack Be Little round, flattened orange 58.56 ± 1.10 8.74 ± 0.27 46.67 ± 0.50 5.54 ± 0.04 7.06 ± 0.60 33.11 ± 2.45 8.16 ± 1.28 58.73 ± 3.43
Orangita round orange 63.56 ± 1.88 10.55 ± 1.05 44.89 ± 0.87 6.37 ± 0.04 12.03 ± 0.78 20.95 ± 3.55 6.51 ± 0.75 72.54 ± 2.80
Casperita round white 71.98 ± 2.29 1.17 ± 0.16 45.59 ± 1.16 6.03 ± 0.02 12.99 ± 0.85 33.92 ± 2.87 8.76 ± 1.73 57.31 ± 1.17
Snow Ball round white 70.51 ± 2.27 −5.44 ± 0.43 29.24 ± 0.28 5.75 ± 0.02 5.47 ± 0.71 20.02 ± 1.90 5.51 ± 1.04 74.47 ± 1.32
Baby Boo round white 66.77 ± 1.30 −3.23 ± 0.13 46.42 ± 1.39 5.52 ± 0.04 15.43 ± 1.01 29.87 ± 2.59 6.80 ± 1.47 63.33 ± 4.06
Delicata elongated yellow 68.03 ± 0.77 15.99 ± 0.17 49.94 ± 0.80 5.84 ± 0.03 17.03 ± 0.55 24.26 ± 2.73 4.38 ± 1.10 71.36 ± 3.00
Miranda round yellow 67.76 ± 0.90 1.27 ± 0.05 45.90 ± 0.88 5.81 ± 0.04 3.99 ± 0.76 17.05 ± 2.91 3.91 ± 0.72 79.04 ± 3.07
Table Queen round, slightly elongated orange 56.85 ± 1.06 9.52 ± 0.21 43.66 ± 1.07 6.16 ± 0.05 10.70 ± 0.62 13.91 ± 1.14 2.45 ± 0.78 83.64 ± 1.86
Table Gold round, slightly elongated orange 60.04 ± 1.00 20.54 ± 1.29 51.84 ± 0.75 5.99 ± 0.04 11.59 ± 0.44 22.43 ± 3.38 6.61 ± 1.16 70.96 ± 4.54
Festival round, slightly flattened orange 62.18 ± 1.62 10.19 ± 0.41 50.53 ± 0.71 5.84 ± 0.04 12.17 ± 0.46 17.48 ± 1.42 6.56 ± 1.55 75.97 ± 2.18
Cream of the pear-shaped orange 56.20 ± 2.64 14.99 ± 1.25 39.39 ± 0.60 6.07 ± 0.04 8.43 ± 0.19 23.41 ± 2.64 5.97 ± 1.81 70.61 ± 3.65
Crop
L – color brightness; a – color in the range from green to red (positive values indicate the proportion of red, and negative values – green); b – color from blue to yellow (positive values indicate the proportion of yellow, and negative values –
blue).
L – brillo del color; a – color en la gama del verde al rojo (los valores positivos indican la proporción del rojo y los valores negativos del verde); b – color del azul al amarillo (los valores positivos indican la proporción del amarillo y los valores
negativos la del azul).
CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD
475
476 B. KULCZYŃSKI ET AL.

Table 2. Antioxidant activity of pumpkin extracts determined by ABTS•+ and DPPH assays.
Tabla 2. Actividad antioxidante de los extractos de calabaza determinada por los ensayos ABTS•+ y DPPH.
ABTS DPPH
Pumpkin cultivars (mg Trolox/100 g dm) (mg Trolox/100 g dm)
Aqueous-methanol extract Aqueous extract Aqueous-methanol extract Aqueous extract
Butternut 126.92 ± 0.61aA 138.36 ± 0.49aB 135.54 ± 1.81aA 103.92 ± 0.39aB
Butterkin 136.94 ± 0.49 bA 157.93 ± 0.37bB 49.27 ± 0.24 bA 38.28 ± 0.16bB
Shishigatani 159.25 ± 0.39cA 144.09 ± 0.48cB 139.27 ± 0.44cA 68.81 ± 0.24cB
Yuxijiangbinggua 116.31 ± 0.56 dA 141.05 ± 0.22 dB 124.42 ± 0.86 dA 56.25 ± 0.24 dB
Orange Butternut 122.57 ± 0.89eA 137.16 ± 0.35eB 148.83 ± 1.09eA 103.21 ± 0.35aB
Futsu 74.99 ± 0.44 fA 96.75 ± 0.28fB 93.14 ± 0.79fA 56.24 ± 0.14 dB
Spaghetti 121.23 ± 0.82 gA 122.29 ± 0.4 gA 144.24 ± 1.88 gA 94.25 ± 1.42eB
Lil’ Pump-ke-mon 157.41 ± 0.56 hA 145.75 ± 0.47hB 144.98 ± 0.38 gA 68.76 ± 0.25cB
Jack Be Little 133.43 ± 0.99iA 168.84 ± 0.58iB 49.45 ± 0.16 bA 36.81 ± 0.77fB
Orangita 69.79 ± 0.45jA 75.94 ± 0.32jB 134.93 ± 0.25 hA 61.25 ± 0.27gB
Casperita 127.61 ± 0.28aA 144.75 ± 0.46cB 91.35 ± 0.52fA 44 ± 1.01hB
Snow Ball 103.9 ± 0.83 kA 94.85 ± 0.4kB 48.52 ± 0.59 bA 24.68 ± 0.4iB
Baby Boo 164 ± 0.59lA 189.12 ± 0.18lB 143.27 ± 1.48 gA 81.34 ± 0.33jB
Delicata 151.16 ± 0.28 mA 158.14 ± 0.4bB 151.11 ± 0.95iA 91.03 ± 0.48 kB
Miranda 113.13 ± 0.4nA 134.97 ± 0.9mB 138.8 ± 1.64jA 105.96 ± 0.4lB
Table Queen 82.91 ± 0.3oA 75.82 ± 0.45jB 98.18 ± 0.85 kA 46.77 ± 0.35mB
Table Gold 116.01 ± 0.36 dA 122.81 ± 0.38gB 142.66 ± 1.42 gA 52.8 ± 0.34nB
Festival 104.85 ± 0.47 pA 89.28 ± 0.33nB 64.3 ± 1.14lA 25.54 ± 0.33iB
Cream of the Crop 115.48 ± 0.44 dA 137.83 ± 0.18aeB 150.57 ± 1.69iA 91.59 ± 0.43kB
a, b, c – means in the same column followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables; A, B, C – means in the same
verse followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables (separately for ABTS and DPPH assay); ABTS – ABTS
radical scavenging activity, DPPH – DPPH radical scavenging activity; dm – dry mass; the results are expressed as the mean values ± standard deviation of the
triplicate samples.
a, b, c – las medias en la misma columna acompañadas por las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables
analizadas; A, B, C- las medias en la misma fila acompañadas por las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables
analizadas (por separado para el ensayo ABTS y DPPH); ABTS – actividad de eliminación de radicales ABTS; DPPH – actividad de eliminación de radicales DPPH;
dm-masa seca; los resultados se expresan como los valores medios ± desviación estándar de las muestras por triplicado.

between water and methanol-water extracts was also found
in this study. In most cases, a higher antioxidant potential
was confirmed for water extracts. An opposite relationship
was noted only for the following cultivars: ‘Shishigatani’, ‘Lil’
Pump-ke-mon’, ‘Snow Ball’, ‘Table Queen’, ‘Festival’.
Comparing the two pumpkin species, no statistically signifi­
cant differences (p > .05) were found in the ability of the
examined methanol-water extracts to scavenge the ABTS
cation radical (127.03 vs. 143.41 mg Trolox/100 g dm)
(Table 5). No significant differences were found for water
extracts (71.14 vs 71.12 mg Trolox/100 g dm) (p > .05). Singh
et al. (2016) confirmed the ability of pumpkin flesh to sca­
venge ABTS cation radicals. They showed that the highest
antioxidant activity was observed for ethanol-water extracts
50% (2.04 μmolol Trolox/g), acetone-water extract 50%
(2.05 μmolol Trolox/g) and methanol-water extract 50%
(1.36 μmolol Trolox/g). The lowest antiradical activity was
observed in water extracts (0.47 μmolol Trolox/g), methanol
extracts (0.77 μmolol Trolox/g) and acetone extracts (0.84
μmolol Trolox/g). The results also showed that the ability of
pumpkin extracts to inactivate ABTS cation radicals was
similar to that of watermelon extracts. At the same time,
a higher antioxidant potential of melon extracts was
observed. In another experiment, no statistically significant
differences in antioxidant activity measured in the ABTS
radical test between pumpkin seeds belonging to Cucurbita
mixta and Cucurbita maxima were found. At the same time,
significantly higher antioxidant potential of Cucurbita mixta
pumpkin flesh was found compared to Cucurbita maxima
pumpkin flesh (Yadav et al., 2016). Tiveron et al. (2012) found
the antioxidant activity of pumpkin flesh at the level of
11.0 μmol Trolox/g dw. It was higher compared to such
vegetables as carrot, celery, cucumber, leek, red beet and
snap beans. On the other hand, pumpkin flesh had about
3–5 times lower antioxidant potential artichoke (39.9 μmol
Trolox/g dw.), asparagus (37.5 μmol Trolox/g dw.), broccoli
(43.0 μmol Trolox/g dw.), chicory (54.9 μmol Trolox/g dw.),
radish (61 μmol Trolox/g dw.) and spinach (41.2 μmol Trolox/
g dw.).
DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity: One of the methods of
antioxidant activity testing is the ability to scavenge free
radicals in the DPPH radical test. In this test, the antioxidants
contained in the extracts neutralize the violet DPPH radical,
contributing to the discoloration of the solution. In the case
of methanol-water extracts, the highest antioxidant activity
was observed in C. pepo cultivars: ‘Delicata’ (151.11 mg
Trolox/100 g dm) and ‘Cream of the Crop’ (150.57 mg
Trolox/100 g dm), between which no statistically significant
differences were observed (p > .05) (Table 2). Pumpkin culti­
vars of the C. pepo species characterized by a strong ability
to scavenge DPPH radicals also include: ‘Lil’ Pump-ke-mon’
(144.98 Trolox/100 g dm), ‘Spaghetti’ (144.24 Trolox/100 g
dm), ‘Baby Boo’ (143.27 mg Trolox/100 g dm) and ‘Table
Gold’ (142.66 mg Trolox/100 g dm). In the case of
C. moschata, the highest antioxidant potential among
methanol-water extracts was confirmed for ‘Orange
Butternut’ (148.83 mg Trolox/100 g dm). The lowest ability
to neutralize DPPH radicals was found for the following
cultivars: ‘Jack Be Little’ (49.45 mg Trolox/100 g dm),
‘Butterkin’ (49.27 mg Trolox/100 g dm) and ‘Snow Ball’
(48.52 mg Trolox/100 g dm). No statistically significant dif­
ferences were found between these cultivars (p > .05). In this
study it was also observed that all methanol-water extracts
were characterized by stronger antioxidant properties than
water extracts (p < .05). Among water extracts, the highest
antioxidant potential was found in the cultivar belonging to
C. pepo (‘Miranda’, 105.96 mg Trolox/100 g), whereas the
lowest in the cultivars (C. pepo): ‘Festival’ (25.54 mg Trolox/
100 g dm) and ‘Snow Ball’ (24.68 mg Trolox/100 g dm). In
addition, no statistically significant differences (p > .05) were
found in the antioxidant activity of pumpkins between the
two species in this test, either for methanol-water extracts
 CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD 477

(120.07 vs 122.83 mg Trolox/100 g dm) or for water extracts
(127.72 vs 135.89 mg Trolox/100 g dm) (Table 5). Abdullahi
and Santhose (2018) compared the level of DPPH radicals
inhibition for different parts of pumpkin: peel, seeds and
flesh adjacent to the seeds, the so called “brain”. They
showed that the highest antioxidant activity was observed
in the flesh peel (74.05% of inhibition). The brain (66.00%)
and seeds (56.90%) showed slightly lower ability to inhibit
DPPH radicals. Nyam et al. (2013) confirmed that pumpkin
peel (69.38% inhibition) shows higher antioxidant activity
than the seeds (36.97%). Telesiński et al. (2014) analyzed
the antioxidant properties of flesh of 4 pumpkin cultivars
belonging to Cucurbita moschata: ‘Kurinishiki’, ‘Butternut
Rugosa’, ‘Muscade de Provence’, ‘Muscatna’. The highest
ability to scavenge DPPH radicals was characteristic for
‘Kurinishiki’ cultivar (31.39% inhibition). The lowest antioxi­
dant potential was found in ‘Muscatna’ cultivar (17.41%).
Oyeleke et al. (2019) showed that the flesh of the Cucurbita
mixta pumpkin is characterized by a higher ability to sca­
venge DPPH radicals than the flesh of the Cucurbita maxima
pumpkin. A similar relationship was found for pumpkin
seeds, where the antioxidant activity of the seeds was
lower than that of the flesh. In another study it was observed
that in the case of Cucurbita pepo pumpkin the highest
antioxidant activity was observed for ethanol extract
(IC50 = 0.12 mg/ml), whereas in the case of Cucurbita max­
ima pumpkin it was methanol extract (IC50 = 0.32 mg/ml). It
was not unequivocally found out which pumpkin species
had higher antioxidant activity. Cucurbita pepo was charac­
terized by a higher antioxidant potential when ethanol and
n-butanol were used as a solvent, while Cucurbita maxima
had a stronger ability to scavenge DPPH radicals in the case
of methanol extracts (Yadav et al., 2016). Dar et al. (2017)
analyzed the effect of the solvent used on the antioxidant
activity of extracts from Cucurbita pepo L. leaves. They
observed that extracts of ethyl acetate (79.44%), n-butanol
(68.9%) and water acetate (59.96%) showed the highest
ability to inhibit the activity of DPPH radicals. The weakest
antiradical properties were found for chloroform (47.56%)
and n-hexane extracts (40.5%). Saavedra et al. (2015)
observed that about 2–3 times higher antioxidant activity
was characteristic for extracts prepared from pumpkin peel
than from seeds. They also noted that water-ethanol (70%),
water-methanol (70%) and water-acetone (70%) extracts
showed the strongest antioxidant properties.
Total Phenolic Content (TPC): Taking into account metha­
nol-water extracts, the highest content of polyphenols was
found in the cultivars belonging to the C. pepo species:
‘Miranda’ (117.66 mg GAE/100 g dm) and ‘Table Gold’
(105.85 mg GAE/100 g dm) (Table 3). ‘Shishigatani’ cultivar
(100.56 mg GAE/100 g dm) belonging to C. moschata species
was also characterized by high content of polyphenols. The
lowest concentration of polyphenols was found for
‘Yuxijiangbinggua’ (46.62 mg GAE/100 g dm) and ‘Orangita’
(47.21 mg GAE/100 g dm), between which no statistically
significant differences were found (p > .05). On the basis of
the obtained results it was noted that the majority of the
tested water extracts showed a higher level of total poly­
phenols than methanol-water extracts (p < .05). Only two
cultivars are an exception: ‘Orange Butternut’ and ‘Festival’,
among which more polyphenols were found in methanol-
water extracts (p < .05). Among the water extracts, the
following C. pepo pumpkins contained the highest levels of
polyphenols: ‘Table Gold’ (140.36 mg GAE/100 g dm) and
‘Miranda’ (152.95 mg GAE/100 g dm). Comparing both spe­
cies (C. pepo and C. moschata) it can be observed that there
are no significant differences in total polyphenols content
between them (p > .05) (Table 5). This relationship applies to
methanol-water extracts (73.60 vs 71.00 mg GAE/100 g dm)
and water ones (94.78 vs 84.42 mg GAE/100 g dm). Yadav
et al. (2016) conducted an experiment in which they
observed that pumpkin of the Cucurbita pepo species is

Table 3. Total polyphenol content and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of pumpkin extracts.
Tabla 3. Contenido total de polifenoles y capacidad de absorción de radicales de oxígeno (ORAC) de los extractos de calabaza.
Total polyphenol content (mg GAE/100 g dm)
Pumpkin cultivars Aqueous-methanol extract Aqueous extract ORAC (μmol TE/g dm)
Butternut 68.07 ± 0.26abA 91.49 ± 0.47aB 76.04 ± 2.32a
Butterkin 64.88 ± 0.32cA 84.77 ± 0.16bB 47.45 ± 1.56b
Shishigatani 100.56 ± 0.45 dA 121.96 ± 0.43 cB 35.17 ± 1.43c
Yuxijiangbinggua 46.62 ± 0.22eA 52.17 ± 0.2 dB 61.5 ± 1.34d
Orange Butternut 77.55 ± 0.42fA 73.8 ± 0.28eB 87,6 ± 2.02e
Futsu 68.32 ± 0.18aA 82.33 ± 0.38fB 32.07 ± 1.4f
Spaghetti 67.5 ± 0.36abA 95.48 ± 0.61gB 42.36 ± 1.39 g
Lil’ Pump-ke-mon 83.62 ± 0.11 gA 81.82 ± 0.7fA 91.75 ± 1.03 h
Jack Be Little 58.83 ± 0.17 hA 82.29 ± 0.3fB 76.53 ± 2.88a
Orangita 47.21 ± 0.34eA 65.25 ± 0.26hB 29.88 ± 1.46fi
Casperita 72.21 ± 0.24iA 99.24 ± 0.25iB 68.47 ± 1.04 j
Snow Ball 56.57 ± 0.58jA 73.03 ± 0.25eB 33.08 ± 0.76 f
Baby Boo 88.54 ± 0.48 kA 116.56 ± 0.37jB 86.13 ± 1.09e
Delicata 89.07 ± 0.33 kA 110.62 ± 0.71kB 108.3 ± 1.8k
Miranda 117.66 ± 0.56lA 152.95 ± 0.77lB 42.66 ± 0.89 g
Table Queen 56.92 ± 0.26jmA 66.07 ± 0.3mB 28.12 ± 0.89i
Table Gold 105.85 ± 0.47nA 140.36 ± 0.81nB 60.22 ± 1.52d
Festival 57.28 ± 0.17 mA 52.79 ± 0.66 dB 35.64 ± 1.19 c
Cream of the Crop 55.54 ± 0.4oA 95.75 ± 0.27gB 95.66 ± 1.75 l
a, b, c – means in the same column followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables; A, B, C – means in the same
verse followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables (between solvents in total polyphenol content assay);
dm – dry mass; the results are expressed as the mean values ± standard deviation of the triplicate samples; GAE – gallic acid equivalent; TE – Trolox
equivalent; ORAC – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
a, b, c – las medias en la misma columna acompañadas de las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables
analizadas; A, B, C- las medias en la misma fila acompañadas de las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables
analizadas (entre disolventes en el ensayo de contenido total de polifenoles); dm-masa seca; los resultados se expresan como los valores medios ± desviación
estándar de las muestras por triplicado; GAE – equivalente de ácido gálico; TE – equivalente de trolox; ORAC – capacidad de absorción de radicales de
oxígeno.
478 B. KULCZYŃSKI ET AL.
characterized by several times higher total polyphenols con­
tent than pumpkin of the Cucurbita maxima species. At the
same time, it was found that most polyphenolic compounds
were present in methanol extracts (519.81 mg GE/100 g).
Lower polyphenols content was found in ethanol (336.25 mg
GE/100 g) and butanol extracts (272.01 mg GE/100 g). Nyam
et al. (2013) compared the content of polyphenolic com­
pounds in pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seeds and peel. They
confirmed that pumpkin peel contains almost twice as much
polyphenols in total as seeds (38.60 vs 22.92 mg GAE/100 g).
These observations were confirmed by Saavedra et al. (2015),
who also showed that pumpkin peel (Cucurbita pepo) has
a higher total polyphenols content than seeds. Moreover, in
this study it was found that most polyphenols were
observed in water extracts, ethanol-water extracts 70% and
acetone-water extract 70%. The lowest level of polyphenolic
compounds was recorded in methanol-water and dichloro­
methane extract. Oyeleke et al. (2019) proved that pumpkin
flesh has a significantly higher polyphenols content than
seeds. Additionally, they observed that Cucurbita maxima
pumpkin flesh is characterized by a higher concentration of
polyphenolic compounds than Cucurbita mixta pumpkin.
Telesiński et al. (2014) analyzed the total polyphenols con­
tent in four pumpkin cultivars of the Cucurbita moschata
species. The highest level of polyphenols was found in
‘Kurinishiki’ cultivar (99.86 mg GA/100 g fw). Lower level of
polyphenolic compounds were found in cultivars ‘Muskatna’
(80,41 mg GA/100 g fw), ‘Butternut Rugosa’ (79.23 mg GA/
100 g fw) and ‘Muscade de Provence’ (73,70 mg GA/100 g
fw). The effect of the type of extract prepared on the basis of
pumpkin flesh (Cucurbita maxima) on the total polyphenols
content was also compared. It was found that the highest
concentration of polyphenols was observed in ethanol-water
extracts 50% (33.48 mg GAE/100 g fw), acetone-water
extract 50% (32.42 mg GAE/100 g fw) and methanol-water
extract 50% (30.69 mg GAE/100 g fw). The lowest level of
polyphenolic compounds was found in methanol (19.36 mg
GAE/100 g fw), ethanol (21.45 mg GAE/100 g fw) and acet­
one extracts (21.59 mg GAE/100 g fw) (Singh et al., 2016).
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC): The antiox­
idant potential of products is also measured by a test based
on the ability to neutralize free oxygen radicals (ORAC). This
method measures the fluorescence of the molecular probe,
which is reduced in the presence of a free radical generator.
The antioxidants contained in the test sample neutralize the
free oxygen radicals produced, thus contributing to the
maintenance of the fluorescence signal. Until recently,
ORAC values were even placed on food labels in the USA.
The highest antioxidant capacity was found in the study for
cultivars belonging to the C. pepo: ‘Delicata’ (108.3 μmol TE/
g dm), ‘Cream of the Crop (95.66 μmol TE/g dm) and Lil’
Pump-ke-mon (91.75 μmol TE/g dm) (Table 3). The lowest
ORAC values were obtained for cultivars such as: ‘Futsu’
(32.07 μmol TE/g dm) belonging to Cucurbita moschata
and ‘Snow Ball’ (33.08 μmol TE/g dm), μmol, ‘Orangita’
(29.88 μmol TE/g dm) and ‘Table Queen’ (28.12 μmol TE/g
dm) belonging to Cucurbita pepo. The experiment showed
that C. pepo (61.45 μmol TE/g dm) is characterized by slightly
higher antioxidant potential than C. moschata (56.64 μmol
TE/g dm) (Table 5). However, these differences were not
statistically significant (p > .05). Ninfali et al. (2005) con­
ducted the study in which they compared the ability of
oxygen radicals absorption by different vegetables. They
showed antioxidant activity of two pumpkin cultivars
belonging to Cucurbita pepo at the level of 396
(‘Butternut’) and 934 mmol TE/100 g (‘Miroo a grappolo’).
These pumpkins were characterized by higher antioxidant
potential than carrots (107 mmol TE/100 g), celery
(343 mmol TE/100 g), cucumber (182 mmol TE/100 g), fennel
(361 mmol TE/100 g), onion (342 mmol TE/100 g). On the
other hand, the antioxidant activity of both pumpkin culti­
vars was significantly lower than that of artichoke
(6552 mmol TE/100 g), asparagus (1288 mmol TE/100 g),
beetroot (3632 mmol TE/100 g), broccoli (3529 mmol TE/
100 g), garlic (5346 mmol TE/100 g), spinach (2732 mmol TE/
100 g). In turn, Shaheen et al. (2012) determined the ability
of Cucurbita maxima pumpkin to absorb oxygen radicals at
the level of 2.46 μmolol TE/g. A lower antioxidant capacity
was found for watermelon (0.51 μmolol TE/g). The other
vegetables had a higher antioxidant potential. There were
e.g., eggplant (23.37 μmolol TE/g), green chili (32.25 μmolol
TE/g), bean (27.84 μmolol TE/g), onion (11.94 μmolol TE/g),
spinach (16.28 μmolol TE/g), guava (47.79 μmolol TE/g), or
tomato (5.60 μmolol TE/g). Similar results were provided by
Watanabe et al. (2013) who confirmed that broccoli (37.01
μmolol TE/g) and spinach (70.98 μmolol TE/g) have
a significantly higher ability to absorb oxygen radicals than
pumpkin (8.44 μmolol TE/g). The low oxygen radicals
absorption capacity of Cucurbita moschata pumpkin was
also confirmed by Tangkanakul and Trakoontivakorn (2014),
who determined the antioxidant capacity at 4.71 μmolol TE/
g fw. The highest antioxidant activity was found for such
plant raw materials as dried cumin (342.27 μmolol TE/g fw),
chiang da (166.28 μmolol TE/g fw), yanang (133.65 μmolol
TE/g fw), wild betel (111.32 μmolol TE/g fw), dill (62.92
μmolol TE/g fw), or coriander seed (62.87 μmolol TE/g fw).
The study conducted in Japan demonstrated that pumpkin
(Cucurbita maxima) has a higher antioxidant potential (875
μmolol TE/100 g fw) than kiwi, cucumbers, melon, bitter
melon, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, potatoes or carrots
(Mikami-Konishide et al., 2013).
Iron chelating activity: One of the mechanisms of oxidative
stress reducing by antioxidants is their ability to chelate metal
ions (e.g., iron, copper). Iron ions take part in Fenton’s reaction
causing the formation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), the excess of
which in the body disturbs the redox balance. Antioxidants
stabilize/100 g dm), ‘Casperita’ (9548.09 μg EDTA/100 g dm)
and ‘Delicata’ (8352.7 μg EDTA/100 g dm) cultivars. On the
other hand, among all the studied cultivars, a lower ability to
bind iron ions was found for water extracts prepared from such
cultivars as: ‘Futsu’ (oxidized forms of metal ions, thus reducing
the redox potential. It was found that the highest ability to bind
metal ions is demonstrated for methanol-water extracts of
pumpkin cultivars such as: ‘Yuxijiangbinggua’ (12137.42 μg
EDTA/100 g dm) and ‘Butterkin’ (11115.07 μg EDTA/100 g dm)
(C. moschata), as well as ‘Casperita’ (12056.12 μg EDTA/100 g
dm) and ‘Delicata’ (11081.85 μg EDTA/100 g dm) (C. pepo)
(Table 4). In this study, it was observed for all pumpkin cultivars
that higher chelating ability of iron ions is demonstrated by
methanol-water extracts compared to water ones (p < .05).
Among water extracts, relatively high antioxidant activity was
also found for ‘Butterkin’ (8169.37 μg EDTA3193.16 μg EDTA/
100 g dm) (C. moschata), as well as ‘Snow Ball’ (2044.18 μg
EDTA/100 g dm) and ‘Table Gold’ (3526.87 μg EDTA/100 g dm)
(C. pepo). Analyzing the chelating properties of the tested
extracts, no significant differences (p > .05) can be observed
Table 4. Iron chelating activity and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) of pumpkin extracts.
Tabla 4. Actividad quelante del hierro y poder antioxidante reductor del hierro (FRAP) de los extractos de calabaza.
Iron chelating activity FRAP
Pumpkin cultivars (μg EDTA/100 g dm) (mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm)
Aqueous-methanol extract Aqueous extract Aqueous-methanol extract Aqueous extract
Butternut 8947.98 ± 6.48aA 7142.31 ± 22.78aB 418.11 ± 0.65aA 159.5 ± 0.61aB
Butterkin 11115.07 ± 23.73 bA 8169.37 ± 23.51bB 360.01 ± 0.37 bA 84.22 ± 0.24bB
Shishigatani 8202.2 ± 13.77cA 6345.84 ± 35.28cB 410.21 ± 0.75cA 98.79 ± 0.25cB
Yuxijiangbinggua 12137.42 ± 34.97 dA 7387.36 ± 19.37 dB 206.77 ± 0.33 dA 63.4 ± 0.51 dB
Orange Butternut 10397.15 ± 24.9eA 5044.47 ± 36.98eB 343.37 ± 0.69eA 103.64 ± 0.77eB
Futsu 4438.1 ± 31.06fA 3193.16 ± 15.34fB 299.21 ± 1.11fA 84.8 ± 0.29bB
Spaghetti 8883.29 ± 14.19 gA 5872.19 ± 31.83gB 516.42 ± 0.47 gA 250.34 ± 1.2fB
Lil’ Pump-ke-mon 9219.63 ± 21.14 hA 7174.92 ± 23.99aB 393.88 ± 0.18 hA 148.16 ± 0.78gB
Jack Be Little 10540.04 ± 23.34iA 7390.64 ± 4.81 dB 370.81 ± 0.24iA 74.62 ± 0.32hB
Orangita 8942 ± 16.31aA 6873.16 ± 20.52hB 209 ± 0.45jA 86.83 ± 0.38iB
Casperita 12056.12 ± 38.08jA 9548.09 ± 22.8iB 266.85 ± 0.93 kA 85.1 ± 0.26bB
Snow Ball 5123.06 ± 14.13 kA 2044.18 ± 34.53jB 188.93 ± 0.34lA 51.57 ± 0.74jB
Baby Boo 8970.49 ± 14.78aA 7556.44 ± 25.29kB 319.84 ± 0.34 mA 66.47 ± 0.48kB
Delicata 11081.85 ± 42.49 bA 8352.7 ± 33.64lB 245.97 ± 0.22nA 47.15 ± 0.48lB
Miranda 9055.04 ± 12.3lA 7123.19 ± 17.75aB 459.7 ± 0.08oA 140.26 ± 0.86mB
Table Queen 10945.96 ± 38.14 mA 7404.76 ± 33.76 dB 216.58 ± 0.15 pA 74.06 ± 0.18hB
Table Gold 7936.02 ± 22.05nA 3526.87 ± 22.63mB 429.58 ± 0.34rA 97.93 ± 0.8cB
Festival 10109.04 ± 30.26oA 4305.73 ± 15.61nB 420.05 ± 0.61sA 104.08 ± 0.32eB
Cream of the Crop 10476.39 ± 16.18 pA 6898.44 ± 20.28hB 257.17 ± 0.44tA 54.88 ± 0.31nB
a, b, c – means in the same column followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables; A, B, C – means in the same verse followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms
of analyzed variables (separately for iron chelating activity and FRAP assay); dm – dry mass; the results are expressed as the mean values ± standard deviation of the triplicate samples; EDTA – ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic acid; Fe – iron;
FRAP – Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power.
a, b, c – las medias en la misma columna acompañadas por las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables analizadas; A, B, C- las medias en la misma fila acompañadas por las mismas letras no
son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables analizadas (de manera separada para la actividad quelante del hierro y el ensayo FRAP); dm-masa seca; los resultados se expresan como los valores medios ±
desviación estándar de las muestras por triplicado; EDTA – ácido etilendiaminotetraacético; Fe – hierro; FRAP – poder antioxidante reductor del hierro.
CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD
479
480 B. KULCZYŃSKI ET AL.

Table 5. Comparison of the antioxidant potential between two pumpkin species.

Tabla 5. Comparación del potencial antioxidante entre dos especies de calabaza.
Cucurbita pepo Cucurbita moschata
Aqueous-methanol extract ABTS 127.03 ± 54.55a 143.41 ± 61.44a
DPPH 120.07 ± 26.68a 122.83 ± 26.15a
Total polyphenols content 73.6 ± 21.14a 71 ± 16.62a
FRAP 330.37 ± 104.83a 339.61 ± 73.79a
Iron chelating activity 9487.61 ± 1694.93a 9206.32 ± 2571.31a
Aqueous extract ABTS 71.14 ± 43.96a 71.12 ± 25.32a
DPPH 127.72 ± 34.58a 135.89 ± 19.34a
Total polyphenols content 94.78 ± 28.75a 84.42 ± 21.49a
FRAP 98.57 ± 53.72a 99.06 ± 30.78a
Iron chelating activity 6467.02 ± 1996.46a 6213.75 ± 1710.29a
ORAC 61.45 ± 27.36a 56.64 ± 21.09a
a, b, c – means in the same verse followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables; the results are expressed in
the following units: ABTS, DPHH (mg Trolox/100 g dm), iron chelating activity (μg EDTA/100 g dm), FRAP (mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm), total phenolic content (mg
GAE/100 g dm), ORAC (μmol TE/g dm); the results are expressed as the mean values ± standard deviation of the triplicate samples; GAE – Gallic Acid
Equivalent; TE – Trolox equivalent; ABTS – ABTS radical scavenging activity, DPPH – DPPH radical scavenging activity; EDTA – ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic
acid; FRAP – Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power; ORAC – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
a, b, c – las medias en la misma fila acompañadas de las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en términos de las variables analizadas;
los resultados se expresan en las siguientes unidades: ABTS, DPHH (mg Trolox/100 g dm), actividad quelante del hierro (μg EDTA/100 g dm), FRAP (mmol
Fe(II)/100 g dm), contenido fenólico total (mg GAE/100 g dm), ORAC (μmol TE/g dm); los resultados se expresan como los valores medios ± desviación
estándar de las muestras por triplicado; GAE – equivalente de ácido gálico; TE – equivalente de trolox; ABTS – actividad de eliminación de radicales ABTS,
DPPH – actividad de eliminación de radicales DPPH; EDTA – ácido etilendiaminotetraacético; FRAP – poder antioxidante reductor férrico; ORAC – capacidad
de absorción de radicales de oxígeno.

between the species, both in the case of methanol-water lowest antioxidant activity was found in the FRAP test for water
extracts (9487.61 vs. 9206.32 μg EDTA/100 g dm) and water (0.96 μmol Fe(II)/g), methanol (0.99 μmol Fe(II)/g) and acetone
ones (6467.02 vs 6213.75 μg EDTA/100 g dm) (Table 5). (1.13 μmol Fe(II)/g) extracts. The same study showed that
Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP): The evaluation of pumpkin peel had a higher reducing power than flesh. In
pumpkin extracts ability to reduce iron ions was performed by turn, Fidrianny et al. (2014) also confirmed the iron ion redu­
spectrophotometric method. The highest reducing power was cing properties in the case of pumpkin leaves (Cucurbita
found for methanol-water extracts. It was shown that the high­ moschata). Additionally, the authors of this experiment stated
est antioxidant activity was observed in pumpkin cultivars that ethanol extracts showed the highest reducing activity.
belonging to the C. pepo species: ‘Spaghetti’ (516.42 mmol
Fe(II)/100 g dm), ‘Miranda’ (459.7 mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm) and
‘Table Gold’ (429.58 mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm) (Table 4). A very 3.3. Correlation between of antioxidant properties of
weak ability to reduce iron ions was recorded for water extracts Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata varieties
of pumpkin cultivars such as: ‘Cream of the Crop’ (54.88 mmol
On the basis of the results obtained, a correlation analysis was
Fe(II)/100 g dm), ‘Snow Ball’ (51.57 mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm) and
carried out to check the relationship between the antioxidant
‘Delicata’ (47.15 mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm) (all belonging to
activity of pumpkin cultivars obtained in various tests. In case
C. pepo). There were no statistically significant differences
of methanol-water extracts a strong positive correlation was
(p > .05) between the two species (C. pepo vs. C. moschata),
found between the ability of compounds present in pumpkin
both in the case of methanol-water extracts (330.37 vs.
to chelate iron ions and the total content of polyphenols
339.61 mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm) and water ones (98.57 vs
(ρ = 0.57; p < .001) (Table 6). It was also noted that total
99.06 mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm)) (Table 5). In the experiment
polyphenols content in the pumpkin cultivars was positively
carried out by Yadav et al. (2016) it was noted that the highest
correlated with antioxidant activity measured in DPPH radical
ability to reduce iron (III) ions was found in methanol-water and
test (ρ = 0.51; p < .001). The presence of total polyphenols also
ethanol-water extracts. Butanolic extracts were characterized
had a positive effect on the ability of pumpkin extracts to
by about two times lower reducing power. In the same study it
extinguish ABTS cation radicals (ρ = 0.40; p < .01). The experi­
was observed that Cucurbita pepo pumpkins showed higher
ment also showed a positive correlation between antioxidant
antioxidant potential than Cucurbita maxima (973.83 vs 130.72;
properties against ABTS radicals and chelating properties
714.78 vs 80.14; 440.13 vs 39.14 mM FeSO4/100 g). Akomolafe
(ρ = 0.41; p < .01). On the other hand, a weak, negative
also confirmed the ability to reduce iron (III) ions for pumpkin
correlation was found between the reducing power (FRAP)
seeds. The reducing power was determined at the level of
and metal ions chelating (ρ = −0.31; p < .05). The results of
8.67 mg AAE/g (Akomolafe et al., 2016). Other authors noted,
correlation analysis obtained in the case of methanol-water
in turn, that the Cucurbita mixta pumpkin flesh has
extracts are in most cases consistent with the results of correla­
a significantly higher ability to reduce iron (III) ions than the
tion calculated for water extracts (Table 7). Similarly, a strong
Cucurbita maxima pumpkin flesh. At the same time, it was
positive correlation was found between the ability to scavenge
confirmed that the pumpkin flesh is characterized by a higher
ABTS cation radical and total polyphenol content (ρ = 0.44;
reducing power than the seeds (Yadav et al., 2016). Singh et al.
p < .01) and chelating properties (ρ = 0.40; p < .01). A positive
(2016) confirmed the ability of pumpkin flesh (Cucurbita max­
correlation between the content of polyphenols in water
ima) to reduce iron (III) ions. On the basis of the conducted
extracts and antioxidant activity determined in the DPPH radi­
study they noticed that the highest reducing power was
cal test (ρ = 0.42; p < .01) was also confirmed. Moreover, it was
observed in ethanol-water 50% (2.26 μmol Fe(II)/g), acetone-
found that the results obtained in the FRAP test were negative
water (2.05 μmol Fe(II)/g), ethanol-water 70% (1.95 μmol Fe(II)/
correlated with the ability of pumpkin extracts to chelate iron
g) and methanol-water 50% (1.77 μmol Fe(II)/g) extracts. The
ions (ρ = 0.30; p < .05). In contrast to methanol-water extracts,
 CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD 481

Table 6. Results of the correlation analysis between the antioxidant activity tests in Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita pepo cultivars aqueous-methanol extracts.
Tabla 6. Resultados del análisis de correlación entre las pruebas de actividad antioxidante en los extractos de metanol acuoso de los cultivos de Cucurbita
moschata y Cucurbita pepo.
ABTS DPPH Total polyphenols content Iron chelating activity FRAP
ABTS - 0.23 0.40** 0.41** −0.14
DPPH 0.23 - 0.51*** 0.26* 0.25
Total polyphenols content 0.40** 0.51*** - 0.57*** −0.25
Iron chelating activity 0.41** 0.26* 0.57*** - −0.31*
FRAP −0.14 0.25 −0.25 −0.31* -
Sum of carotenoids −0.22 0.12 −0.19 −0.15 0.09
Sum of phenolic acids −0.31* 0.58*** −0.07 0.19 0.2
Sum of tocopherols 0.13 0.12 −0.21 −0.26 0.44**
Sum of flavonols −0.37* −0.14 −0.39** −0.23 −0.11
Iron (Fe) 0.1 0.2 0.04 0.19 0.07
Zinc (Zn) 0.30* −0.1 −0.06 0.02 0.1
Copper (Cu) −0.35* −0.27 −0.33* −0.24 −0.35*
Manganese (Mn) −0.1 −0.21 −0.24 0.2 0.04
Vitamin C 0 0.28 −0.23 0.32* −0.01
p < 0.05*; p < 0.01**; p < 0.001***: determination of statistically significant correlations between tested variables; ABTS radical scavenging activity, DPPH –
DPPH radical scavenging activity; FRAP – Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power.
p < 0.05*; p < 0.01**; p < 0.001***: determinación de correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre las variables probadas; actividad de eliminación de
radicales ABTS, actividad de eliminación de radicales DPPH – DPPH; FRAP – poder antioxidante reductor férrico.

a very strong positive correlation between the activity of DPPH
radical scavenging and reducing power (FRAP) of the pumpkin
cultivars tested (ρ = 0.67; p < .001) was found in water extracts.
At the same time, no correlation was observed between the
content of polyphenols in the samples and chelating proper­
ties (ρ = 0.12; p > .05). The correlation analysis also showed that
there is a strong positive correlation between the antioxidant
activity measured in the ORAC test and the scavenging of ABTS
cation radicals (ρ = 0.71; p < .001), as well as iron ions chelating
(ρ = 0.41; p < .01).
Based on the results of research obtained in our two
previous works (Kulczyński & Gramza-Michałowska, 2019b,
2019c), in which we analyzed the chemical composition of
many pumpkin varieties (including the content of carote­
noids, tocopherols, phenolic acids, flavonols, minerals), we
performed an analysis of the correlation between the con­
tent of bioactive compounds, and the antioxidant activity of
pumpkin pulp presented in current research. It was observed
that there is a strong positive correlation between the phe­
nolic acid content and the ability to quench DPPH radicals,
both for methanol-water extracts (ρ = 0.58; p < .001), as well
as for water extracts (ρ = 0.50; p < .001). A positive correla­
tion was noted between tocopherol content and iron chelat­
ing activity (ρ = 0.44; p < .01) for methanol-water extracts. In
turn, a negative correlation was found between the flavonol
content and the antioxidant activity analyzed in the ABTS
cation radical test. This effect was observed for both metha­
nol-water extracts (ρ = −0.37; p < .05), as well as for water
extracts (ρ = −0.43; p < .01). Negative correlations were also
found between the content of copper in aqueous methanol
and water extracts, and the antioxidant activity analyzed in
all tests. This effect may indicate the pro-oxidative properties
of copper present in the tested samples.
Cluster analysis: Based on the results obtained, cluster
analysis was performed to group pumpkin cultivars in
terms of antioxidant activity and polyphenols content
(Figure 1). The cluster analysis made it possible to separate
3 groups of pumpkin cultivars: cluster 1 (‘Spaghetti,
‘Shishigatani’, ‘Baby boo’, ‘Orangita’, ‘Lil’ Pump-ke-mon’,
‘Miranda’, ‘Butternut’, ‘Table Gold’, ‘Festival, ‘Orange
Butternut’); cluster 2 (‘Casperita’, ‘Cream of the crop’, ‘Jack
Be Little’, ‘Table Queen’, ‘Yuxijiangbinggua’, ‘Butterkin’); clus­
ter 3 (‘Futsu’, ‘Snow Ball’). A student t-test for independent
trials was then performed to check for differences in antiox­
idant activity and polyphenols content between the three
groups.
It can be observed that cluster 1 is characterized by
statistically significantly higher antioxidant activity (metha­
nol-water extracts) measured in ABTS text (163.58 mg
Trolox/100 g dm), compared to cluster 2 (104.91 mg
Trolox/100 g dm) and cluster 3 (70.83 mg Trolox/100 g dm)
(Table 8). Similar results were obtained for water extracts
(86.59 vs. 57.82 and 40.46 mg Trolox/100 g dm). Methanol-
water extracts belonging to cluster 1 are also characterized
by higher total polyphenols content (81.39 mg GAE/100 g
dm) compared to extracts grouped in cluster 2 (63.44 mg
GAE/100 g dm) and cluster 3 (62.45 mg GAE/100 g dm).
However, no significant differences (p > .05) were found for
water extracts between the concentration of polyphenols
within 3 groups. Both methanol-water and water extracts
belonging to cluster 1 were characterized by significantly
stronger chelating properties and greater reducing power
compared to the extracts present in cluster 2 and cluster 3.
No statistically significant differences were found between
the 3 clusters in the context of the ability to absorb free
oxygen radicals (ORAC) (p > .05). In the case of antioxidant
activity measured in the DPPH radical test it was found that
clusters 1 and 2 (125.51 and 123.41 mg Trolox/100 g dm)
show significantly higher antioxidant potential than cluster 3
(89.44 mg Trolox/100 g dm) for methanol-water extracts.
A similar relationship was found for water extracts (129.98
and 140.62 vs 95.8 mg Trolox/100 g dm).
4. Conclusions
Antioxidant potential of 19 pumpkin cultivars was analyzed
using various tests: ABTS, DPPH, ORAC, FRAP, chelating activ­
ity. Based on the results of total polyphenols content,
a significant difference in antioxidant properties between
two pumpkin cultivars of C. pepo and C. moschata had been
noticed. It was observed that the obtained differences were
more affected by the pumpkin cultivars than by the species.
No statistically significant differences (p > .05) were found
between the two pumpkin species (Cucurbita pepo vs.
Cucurbita moschata). High antioxidant activity was found for
‘Delicata’, ‘Baby Boo’, ‘Cream of the Crop’ cultivars (Cucurbita
482 B. KULCZYŃSKI ET AL.

Table 7. Results of the correlation analysis between the antioxidant activity tests in Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita pepo cultivars aqueous extracts.
Tabla 7. Resultados del análisis de correlación entre las pruebas de actividad antioxidante en los extractos acuosos de los cultivos de Cucurbita moschata
y Cucurbita pepo.
ABTS DPPH Total polyphenols content Iron chelating activity FRAP ORAC
ABTS - 0.11 0.44** 0.40** 0.01 0.71***
DPPH 0.11 - 0.42** −0.20 0.67*** 0.22
Total polyphenols content 0.44** 0.42** - 0.12 0.17 0.18
Iron chelating activity 0.40** −0.20 0.12 - −0.30* 0.41**
FRAP 0.10 0.67*** 0.17 −0.30* - −0.15
ORAC 0.71*** 0.22 0.18 0.41** −0.15 -
Sum of carotenoids −0.29 0.15 −0.13 −0.06 0.25 0.01
Sum of phenolic acids −0.39** 0.50*** −0.12 0.35* 0 −0.17
Sum of tocopherols 0.24 0.16 −0.15 −0.19 0.28 0.42**
Sum of flavonols −0.43** −0.15 −0.57*** 0.09 −0.31* −0.06
Iron (Fe) 0.12 0.18 −0.04 0.07 −0.25 0.16
Zinc (Zn) 0.27 −0.01 0.1 0.05 0.33* 0.38*
Copper (Cu) −0.36* −0.43** −0.24 −0.07 −0.39** −0.53***
Manganese (Mn) −0.11 −0.21 −0.19 −0.01 −0.29 −0.18
Vitamin C 0.05 0.25 −0.06 0.21 0.03 −0.01
p < 0.05*; p < 0.01**; p < 0.001***: determination of statistically significant correlations between tested variables; ABTS radical scavenging activity, DPPH –
DPPH radical scavenging activity; FRAP – Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power; ORAC – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
p < 0.05*; p < 0.01**; p < 0.001***: determinación de correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre las variables probadas; ABTS – actividad de eliminación
de radicales, DPPH – actividad de eliminación de radicales DPPH; FRAP – poder antioxidante reductor férrico; ORAC – capacidad de absorción de radicales de
oxígeno.

Figure 1. Dendrogram of selected pumpkin variety divisions.

Figura 1. Dendrograma de las divisiones de variedades de calabaza seleccionadas.

pepo). In addition, the study conducted provided evidence of
higher antioxidant activity of methanol-water extracts mea­
sured in DPPH, FRAP tests and chelating activity. Stronger
antiradical activity in the ABTS cation radical test as well as
higher total polyphenols content were observed in water
extracts. Furthermore, studies have also found a strong corre­
lation between the total polyphenols content and iron chelat­
ing activity (ρ = 0.57; p < .001) and DPPH radical scavenging
test (ρ = 0.51; p < .001) for methanol-water extracts. In the case
of aqueous extracts, a strong correlation between DPPH
radical scavenging test and ferric reducing antioxidant power
(ρ = 0.67; p < .001), as well as between Oxygen Radical
Absorbance Capacity and ABTS radical scavenging ability
(ρ = 0.071; p < .001) was demonstrated. We have confirmed
that the pumpkin has moderate antioxidant activity, which is
consistent with the results obtained from other researchers.
However, comparing the results of studies between different
publications, it should be emphasized that the antioxidant
potential of pumpkin is affected not only by the variety and
species, but also by many other factors, mainly such as
 CYTA - JOURNAL OF FOOD 483

Table 8. Variable levels divided into groups of pumpkin varieties.

Tabla 8. Niveles variables divididos en grupos de variedades de calabaza.
Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3
Aqueous-methanol extract ABTS 163.58 ± 50.25a 104.91 ± 42.75b 70.83 ± 24.45b
DPPH 125.51 ± 27.75a 123.41 ± 20.59a 89.44 ± 15.85b
Total polyphenols content 81.39 ± 21.51a 63.44 ± 13.11b 62.45 ± 6.45b
Iron chelating activity 392.02 ± 81.58a 274.88 ± 62.09b 244.07 ± 60.41b
FRAP 9066.28 ± 717.81a 11193.26 ± 631.8b 4780.58 ± 375.78 c
Aqueous extract ABTS 86.59 ± 44a 57.82 ± 22.53b 40.46 ± 17.29b
DPPH 129.98 ± 30.14a 140.62 ± 29.05a 95.8 ± 1.09b
Total polyphenols content 99.25 ± 31.73a 84.42 ± 19.04a 77.68 ± 5.1a
Iron chelating activity 125.6 ± 50.72a 69.06 ± 13.73b 68.19 ± 18.21b
FRAP 6096.51 ± 1329.21a 7878.77 ± 845.33b 2618.67 ± 629.78 c
ORAC 58.75 ± 24.55a 69.43 ± 27.39a 32.58 ± 0.71a
a, b, c – means in the same verse followed by the same letters do not significantly differ (p < 0.05) in terms of analyzed variables; dm – dry mass; the results are
expressed as the mean values ± standard deviation of the triplicate samples; the results are expressed in the following units: ABTS assay, DPPH assay (mg
Trolox/100 g dm), chelating activity (μg EDTA/100 g dm), FRAP assay (mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm), total polyphenols content (mg GAE/100 g dm), ORAC assay
(μmol TE/g dm) GAE – Gallic Acid Equivalent; TE – Trolox Equivalent; ABTS – ABTS radical scavenging activity, DPPH – DPPH radical scavenging activity; EDTA-
ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic acid; FRAP – Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power; ORAC – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
a, b, c – las medias en la misma fila acompañadas de las mismas letras no son significativamente diferentes (p < 0.05) en cuanto a las variables analizadas; dm-
masa seca; los resultados se expresan como los valores medios ± desviación estándar de las muestras por triplicado; los resultados se expresan en las
siguientes unidades: ensayo ABTS, ensayo DPPH (mg Trolox/100 g dm), actividad quelante (μg EDTA/100 g dm), ensayo FRAP (mmol Fe(II)/100 g dm),
contenido total de polifenoles (mg GAE/100 g dm), ensayo ORAC (μmol TE/g dm) GAE – equivalente de ácido gálico; TE – equivalente de Trolox; ABTS –
actividad de eliminación de radicales ABTS, DPPH – actividad de eliminación de radicales DPPH; EDTA – ácido etilendiaminotetraacético; FRAP – poder
antioxidante reductor del hierro; ORAC – capacidad de absorción de radicales de oxígeno.

growing conditions, harvesting period and storage conditions.
The obtained results may be used in food technology and
human nutrition. On the basis of these results it is possible
to choose the right pumpkin variety with a high antioxidant
potential. As it is well known, proper selection of raw materials
is a key element in the design of food products with increased
pro-health properties.
Declaration of interest statement
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Funding
This research was funded by National Science Centre, Poland, grant
number [2018/29/B/NZ9/00461]. The publication co-financed within
the framework of Ministry of Science and Higher Education
Programme as “Regional Initiative Excellence” in years 2019–2022, pro­
ject number [005/RID/2018/19].
ORCID
Bartosz Kulczyński http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9620-7852
Andrzej Sidor http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9844-431X
Anna Gramza-Michałowska http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0744-9033
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