Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) is a food crop targeted for enrichment with pro-vitamin A carotenoids. We
investigated retention of pro-vitamin A carotenoids in pulp from orange fleshed pumpkin that was briefly
steamed or boiled in either water or water containing 60% sucrose in five genotypes grown in Brazil. Bioaccessibility
of pro-vitamin A carotenoids in cooked pulp was also determined by their transfer to mixed micelles during
in vitro digestion and confirmed by their accumulation in Caco-2 human intestinal cells. Pulp from the biofortified
genotypes contained 209–658 μg/g fresh weight pro-vitamin A and retention of the carotenes during cooking
exceeded 78%. Bioaccessibility of β-carotene and α-carotene was poor (b4%), highly variable and affected by
food matrix and style of cooking. The estimated quantity of β-carotene equivalents transferred to mixed micelles
during simulated digestion of cooked pulp from one genotype has the potential to provide more than 40% of the
Estimated Average Requirement of vitamin A for children 4–8 years of age per 100 g serving. Possible causes for
the low bioaccessiblity of pro-vitamin A in pumpkin are discussed.