Carotenoids in pumpkin products and by-products
What it found
Pumpkin pulp, peel, seeds and products contain carotenoids, mainly beta-carotene, and the amounts vary widely with species, variety, growing conditions, plant part and extraction method.
The findings come from laboratory analyses of pumpkin samples, not from studies in people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Main carotenoids found
The main carotenoids identified in pumpkins were beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene is the major carotenoid in most pumpkin species.
Levels vary widely
Total carotenoid content and profile depend mainly on species and cultivar, growing conditions, the plant part used (pulp, peel or seed), extraction procedures and the solvent used. For example, total carotenoids in pulp of two landrace samples of Cucurbita moschata were 404.98 and 234.21 micrograms per gram.
Peel, pulp and seed
In one study, pumpkin pulp powder had the highest total carotenoids (35.2 mg per 100 g) and seed powder the lowest (8.2 mg per 100 g). In another, the cultivar 'Butternut' had lower total carotenoids in pulp (44 mg per kg) and peel (12 mg per kg) than 'Hokkaido' pulp (218 mg per kg) and peel (1048 mg per kg).
Seed oil carotenoids
Commercial pumpkin seed oil from Cucurbita pepo contained 93 to 121 mg per kg lutein and 98 to 116 mg per kg zeaxanthin. Cold-pressed C. pepo oil had low amounts of lutein, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin.
Processing effects
Sonication increased carotenoids in pumpkin juice by about 22 to 34 percent. Roasting increased total carotenoids in pumpkin seeds from 0.29 to 0.54 mg per 100 g. In pumpkin-enriched corn grits, extrusion changed lutein and zeaxanthin levels, and high temperature decreased alpha-carotene.
Other findings
By-products as a source
Pumpkin processing produces large amounts of by-products, such as peel and pulp, which are underused but contain carotenoids. For example, producing seeds from Cucurbita maxima yields about 49 times more by-products (pulp and peel) than seeds.
What the authors conclude
“Pumpkin and pumpkin by-products can serve as a valuable source of carotenoids.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that pumpkin and pumpkin by-products can serve as a valuable source of carotenoids.
- They suggest that recovering carotenoids from pumpkin by-products through sustainable green technologies could be used in functional food products and pharmaceuticals to prevent chronic diseases and improve health.
- They advise that future trends should aim at better understanding for more efficient and environmentally friendly extraction methods that comply with green extraction principles.
How it was done
The authors wanted to pull together current findings on the main carotenoids and their levels in pumpkin products and by-products, because these fractions are underused and could be a valuable source of carotenoids for food and other uses.
They reviewed published studies that measured total and individual carotenoids in different pumpkin species and cultivars, in pulp, peel, seeds, flowers and leaves, and in products such as juice, puree, oil and extruded snacks. The studies used various extraction methods and solvents, and measured carotenoids by laboratory techniques such as HPLC.
What it can’t tell you
- This review looks at what carotenoids are present and how much, not at what they do in the human body.
- The studies were done on pumpkin samples in laboratories, so they cannot show health effects in people.
- The amounts found depend on many factors, so a single number cannot be applied to all pumpkins.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Croatian Science Foundation (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Zagreb, Croatia
The paper
- Title
- Carotenoid Content and Profiles of Pumpkin Products and By-Products
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ninčević Grassino A, Rimac Brnčić S, Badanjak Sabolović M, Šic Žlabur J, Marović R, Brnčić M (2023). Carotenoid Content and Profiles of Pumpkin Products and By-Products. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/molecules28020858Free full textPubMed 36677916DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error