DEVELOPMENT, STANDARDISATION AND SHELF-LIFE EVALUATION OF A GHEE-ENRICHED SEED BUTTER PREPARED FROM PUMPKIN (CUCURBITA PEPO) AND CUCUMBER (CUCUMIS SATIVUS) SEEDS: PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND SENSORY QUALITY ASSESSMENT

S.K. Mathanghi; Sheetal Kumari

doi:10.56093/ijvasr.v55i3.179304

Authors

S.K. Mathanghi Associate Professor, Department of Poultry Engineering, College of Poultry production and Management, TANUVAS, Hosur
Sheetal Kumari UG Scholar, College of Food and Dairy Techology, TANUVAS, Koduveli, Chennai.

https://doi.org/10.56093/ijvasr.v55i3.179304

Keywords:

seed butter, shelf -life, pumpkin seeds, ghee

Abstract

Seed butters have emerged as a nutritionally rich and functionally versatile alternative to conventional nut-based spreads, garnering increasing attention in the food industry owing to their favourable fatty acid profiles, high protein content, and bioactive compound diversity. The pumpkin seeds from Cucurbita pepo and cucumber seeds from Cucumis sativus are abundant in dietary fiber, protein, good fats, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive substances and are beneficial to health when added in daily diets due to their nutraceutical components. The combinations of pumpkin seeds and cucumber seeds are used along with ghee for the standardization of seed butter. Sensory evaluation of the developed seed butter packaged in PET plastic was conducted over five-time intervals — Day 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 — across five attributes: colour, texture, taste, spreading ability, and overall acceptability, rated on a 9-point hedonic scale. All attributes recorded high mean scores ranging from 8.2 to 8.9 at 0th day , reflecting excellent initial product quality. Scores remained statistically stable from 0th day through 45th day, indicating the absence of any significant difference across these time points. At day 60, a uniform and statistically significant decline was observed across all five sensory attributes (p < 0.05) confirming a critical quality transition beyond 45 days of storage. The standardized seed butter stored at room temperature of 30°C was microbiologically safe till the end of storage days, and the impact of packaging material analysis on organoleptic parameters confirmed the most suitable package for this product was PET jars.

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