Evaluation of Physicochemical Properties and Sensory Attributes of Pumpkin Seed (Cucurbita maxima) Bouillon Cube

The physicochemical properties and consumer acceptability of bouillon cubes prepared from fermented pumpkin seed flour were evaluated. The results from microbial identified Bacillus subtilis as the main bacterium responsible for the production of condiment from pumpkin seed. Pumpkin bouillon cubes were observed to be rich in protein content (40.32-44.06%), energy value (521.57-538.49 kcal/100 g), potassium (859. 50-1128.00 mg/kg), phosphorous (402.27-501.87 mg/kg) and calcium (30.20-40.97 mg/kg). The result of the phytochemical properties of the pumpkin bouillon cubes include, tannin (1.94 mg/g - 2.92 mg/g), oxalate (2.78 mg/g - 3.45 mg/g), saponin (2.06 mg/g - 2.87 mg/g), phytate (4.45 mg/g - 5.44 mg/g), and alkaloid (2.40 mg/g - 3.58 mg/g). Free radical scavenging against 1, 1- diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) (67.09%-88.03%), ferric reducing property (FRAP) (58.61 mg/g-63.10 mg/g) and Iron II chelation (44.78 mg/g-56.10 mg/g) of the bouillon cubes were found to increase with increase in amount of fermented pumpkin seed. The results further showed that aqueous extracts of pumpkin bouillon cube exhibited strong alpha-amylase (46.21%-51.08%) and alpha-glucosidase (67.87%-88.13%) inhibitory activities. Pumpkin bouillon cubes made from 80% fermented pumpkin seed was well accepted as seasoning and compete favorably with the control.