Effects of Processing on the Functional Properties of Full Fat and Defatted Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) Seed Flours

Mature fluted pumpkin seeds were processed into raw dried, boiled, naturally fermented, germinated and roasted seeds. The seeds were milled into flours in the laboratory. Samples of the seed flours were defatted using n-hexane , dried at 50?C and sieved to pass through 500?m sieves. The full fat and defatted seed flours were evaluated for functional properties. The results showed that different processing and pH significantly (p 0.05) affected the functional properties of fluted pumpkin seed flours. The functional properties of full fat and defatted seed flours respectively ranged as follows; Water Absorption Capacity (WAC),174.50 – 250.0% g g 1 and 423.00 – 500.0% g g 1; Oil Absorption Capacity (OAC) 134.26 – 179.11% g g 1 and 316.77 – 423.11% g g 1; Bulk Density {BD),0.33 – 0.55 g mL 1 and 0.18 – 0.38 g mL 1; Least Gelation Concentration (LGC), 12.0 – 28.0 and 4.0 – 10.0% g mL 1; foaming capacity of 12.0 – 115.0% and 20.5 – 200.0% while the foaming stability was 4.0 – 70.0% and 10.0 – 86.0% after 6 h. The emulsion capacity was 20.0 – 61.67 mL g 1 and 31.44 – 88.12 mL g 1 while protein solubility in water was 7.46 – 31.94% and 5.61 – 36.33%. Functional properties were dependent on pH; pH 2 and pH 9 enhanced functional properties while they were reduced at pH 4. Heat processing and fermentation reduced foaming capacity, emulsion capacity and protein solubility but enhanced water and oil absorption capacity. There was a positive correlation (p 0.05) between protein solubility and foaming properties or emulsion properties of fluted pumpkin seed flours.