Analytical Investigations to Compare the Enzyme-assisted Mechanical Extraction of Pumpkin Seed Oil with Conventional...

The advancement of methodologies for extracting biomolecules from natural sources has gained increasing attention in recent years because of their diverse applications, particularly in food and medicine. In the present study, a commercial pectinase enzyme was employed for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, and the proposed mechanical extraction technique, aided by the enzyme, was proven to be advantageous for the extraction of pumpkin seed oil. An analysis of the physicochemical properties of pretreated pumpkin seed oil under different temperature conditions revealed that the density, refractive index, and iodine values decreased with increasing temperature, whereas the color indices, peroxide values, and free fatty acids were directly correlated with temperature. Proximate analysis revealed that the protein content was highest in seeds treated with microwave-assisted enzymes (25.77%), with a crude fibre content of 5.05 g per 100 g of seeds. The ash content of untreated pumpkin seeds was measured at approximately 3.6 mg per 100 g, with the enzyme indirectly impacting the ash levels in the seeds. The addition of pectinase to the mechanical extraction process increased the antioxidant activity of pumpkin oil, as evidenced by a total phenolic content (TPC) of 19.08 mg GAE per gram, and increased the yield from 28.25% to 30.85%.