OPTIMIZATION OF SUSTAINABLE PROTEIN EXTRACTION METHODS OF A PROMISING PROTEIN SOURCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTEIN ENRICHED COOKIES

Abstract One of the serious public health concerns all over the world today is malnutrition, especially in children below the age of five years, which accounts for an estimated 45% of child deaths in low- and middle-income countries. This paper examines the role of semi waste materials such as the seed and peels of pumpkins to combat malnutrition. This study also seeks to uncover the use of waste products such as pumpkin seeds and peels in combating malnutrition. The edible portion of pumpkin seeds consists of an unsaturated fatty acid, protein, minerals, and phenolic compounds; therefore, it adds nutritional value into food designed for development of children. The research also describes how protein isolates can be prepared from pumpkin seeds and peels by using enzymatic extraction, micellization and isoelectric precipitation methods. These isolates were evaluated by gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), proximate analysis of protein cookies. Results obtained showed that enzymatic extraction had the highest protein content (91.96±0.17%) than the other approaches. Proximate composition analysis shows it is promising to use pumpkin seed protein isolate in the production of fortified foods.