Development of a zinc and potassium rich food supplement for management of hypertension using pumpkin seed flour

Abstract

Hypertension is disorder that is characterized by abnormally elevated blood pressure. Many medications have been developed and proven effective in treatment however there has been increased use of diet and lifestyle changes to treat, manage and prevent hypertension. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been designed specifically for control of this condition. Pumpkin seeds are a superfood of sort with a good composition of minerals as well as bioactive compounds all connected to the treatment and management of hypertension. This study was designed to find out the zinc and potassium content in the seeds of different local varieties in Uganda and use the flour of the seeds with the highest composition of both to make a composite flour with whole wheat flour. The composite flours were analyzed for changes in zinc and potassium content as well as changes in the pasting and sensory attributes. The highest zinc content was found in butternut seeds and the highest potassium content was found in Oziga seeds. Addition of pumpkin seed flour significantly (p˂ 0.05) increased the potassium levels in the composite flours from 151.5mg/100g (control) to 301.7 to 355.8mg/100g but not the zinc content. Addition of pumpkin seed flour significantly (p˂0.05) reduced the peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, setback viscosity and trough viscosity. However the addition of the pumpkin seed flour increased the peak time and pasting temperature. The pumpkin seed flour also significantly (p˂0.05) increased general acceptability, aroma and taste of the whole wheat flour as a porridge. The results indicate the potential of pumpkin seed flour to be used as a supplement for hypertensive patients and further studies should be carried out to validate the findings of this study through clinical trials.