摘要：The pumpkin is a rich source of nutrients and has medicinal properties. However, owing to the perception that it is a traditional food and majority of the Kenyan populace being unaware of its high nutritional value it still remains unexploited. The main aim and objective of this work was to determine the composition of fatty acids and vitamin E in seed oils of pumpkins (Cucurbita spp) collected from selected region s in Kenya. The pumpkin samples were graded on the basis of colour, nine varieties were identified. The seeds were removed from the fruits and dried under shade and grounded into fine flour prior to analysis. Data analysis was done using Genstat statistical package. The oil yields were obtained by solvent extraction and analysed for fatty acids by Gas Chromatography (GC). The oil yields of the seeds were found to be ranging between 31.9 to 39.44%. Both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were identified in all the seed oils with the latter being the predominant with linoleic acid ranging between 43.4% to 58.29% and oleic acid ranging between 20.27% to 40.51%. Vitamin E ranged between 9.42 and 122.65 μg/g. There was significant decrease in percentage saturated FA, increase in percentage unsaturated FA with increase in vitamins E concentration in all the seed oils. The seed oils have many FA such as oleic acid, and α-linoleic acids which are of biological and industrial significance to humans thus could be potentially exploited domestic use.
关键词：Pumpkin; seed oil; gas chromatography; α-tocopherol
