Physicochemical properties of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepoL.) seed kernel flour and its utilization in beef meatballs as a fat replacer and functional ingredient

In this study, the physicochemical properties of pumpkin seed kernel (PSK) flour were assayed and used as a fat replacer and functional ingredient in meatballs. Five different meatball formulations were prepared with 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% replacement of beef fat with PSK flour. The PSK flour had high protein, oil, and oleic and linoleic acids, but low dietary fiber content. The treatment of PSK flour altered the proximate composition of the meatballs and reduced the fat content by about 9%-27%. The addition of PSK flour improved the cooking loss, hardness, fatty acid profile, polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids ratio, and thrombogenic and atherogenic indexes of meatballs, but negatively affected redness andn-6/n-3 ratio. Also, the addition of PSK flour decreased sensory scores, but the overall acceptability scores of meatballs with 3% PSK flour were close to the control. In conclusion, the inclusion of 3% PSK flour could be recommended with minimal compositional and sensory changes as a fat replacer and functional ingredient in beef meatballs. Practical applications Pumpkin seed kernel (PSK) flour can be considered as a potential source of important nutrients for food enrichment due to its high protein (31.96%), oil (49.87%), oleic (44.78%), and linoleic acid (39.40%) content. The addition of PSK flour to beef meatballs improves the cooking loss, hardness, fatty acid profile, polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids ratio, and thrombogenic and atherogenic indexes and reduces the fat content of the products. PSK flour can be used up to 3% for the production of beef meatballs.