Enhancing the Quality of Functional Home Meal Replacement Sweet Pumpkin Porridge

This study aimed to develop a functional home meal replacement (HMR) sweet pumpkin porridge by enhancing the content of carotenoids, the naturally abundant antioxidant nutrients in sweet pumpkin, and fortifying it with calcium and vitamin D, which are commonly deficient in the Korean diet. The carotenoid contents in sweet pumpkin according to the origins, parts, and processing methods, as well as carotenoid stability in HMR sweet pumpkin porridge with and without natural calcium and vitamin D, were compared using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). There was no significant difference in carotenoid content based on the origins of sweet pumpkin. However, carotenoid levels were highest in the skin ( p < 0.001) and were best retained through steaming ( p < 0.05). Xanthophyll and carotenes in HMR sweet pumpkin porridge decreased progressively over time. Xanthophyll levels declined by 43.52%, 57.58%, and 65.64% in regular HMR and 44.66%, 59.86%, and 61.45% in fortified HMR at 3, 12, and 18 months, respectively. Carotenes decreased by 26.74%, 87.05%, and 91.42% in regular HMR and 0.8%, 87.52%, and 91.33% in fortified HMR over the same periods. These findings demonstrate comparable carotenoid reduction patterns in both regular and fortified HMR sweet pumpkin porridge. This study demonstrated that selecting specific sweet pumpkin parts, such as the skin, optimizing processing methods like steaming, and incorporating fortification with calcium and vitamin D, without impacting carotenoid degradation, provides valuable insights for advancing the development of elderly‐friendly functional HMR sweet pumpkin porridge.