abstract
In this work a process for obtaining high vitamin E and carotenoid yields by supercritical carbon dioxide
(SC-CO2) extraction from pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) is described. The results show that the use
of a vacuum oven-dried [residual moisture (8%)] and milled (70 mesh sieve) pumpkin flesh matrix
increased SC-CO2 extraction yields of total vitamin E and carotenoids of 12.0- and 8.5-fold,
respectively, with respect to the use of a freeze-dried and milled flesh matrix. The addition of milled
(35 mesh) pumpkin seeds as co-matrix (1:1, w/w) allowed a further 1.6-fold increase in carotenoid
yield, besides to a valuable enrichment of the extracted oil in vitamin E (274 mg/100 g oil) and
polyunsaturated fatty acids. These findings encourage further studies in order to scale up the process
for possible industrial production of high quality bioactive ingredients from pumpkin useful in functional
food or cosmeceutical formulation.
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