Pumpkin is a name used for several species of the genus Cucurbita, not one always identical plant. Its history of cultivation dates back to ancient communities in the Americas. It came to Europe along with other New World plants. The huge diversity of pumpkins is evidenced by varieties intended for pulp, seeds, decorations, and even the popular zucchini belonging to the species Cucurbita pepo.
Pulp, seeds and oil
Pumpkin use may be for pulp, seeds or oil, and these materials do not have an identical profile. The seeds provide the fat fraction and other compounds, while the pulp is another food raw material. In the description of the supplement, the word pumpkin should be clarified with the name of the species and part. The entire set of soup or pulp characteristics should not be attributed to the seed extract, even if all the products are associated with the same plant.
Meaning and application
Seeds play an important role in nutrition and recipes, from which oil is also obtained. The pulp, oil and seed extract have different properties and should not be equated. The seeds contain, among others, fats, protein and characteristic plant compounds. When reading the composition, it is worth checking the species and part of the plant. The term "pumpkin" is a good starting point, but only the details tell us what raw material is included in a given recipe.
In practice
The common names pumpkin and squash are used for various species and varieties. Therefore, the image of a large orange fruit is not a sufficient identification of the raw material. The seeds, pulp and oil obtained from the seeds are separate materials with different purposes. Also, extraction can change the ingredient profile compared to whole seeds. If the recipe declares phytosterols or another group of compounds, you need to check their separate amounts. The mass of the extract is not automatically the mass of each ingredient it contains. When comparing products, it is worth reading the species, the part used and the form of the material, instead of treating all pumpkin products as an identical nutritional raw material.