ISSN: 2410-4477 Color and Antioxidant Potential of Seasoning with Butternut Squash ( Cucurbita moschata

Daegu 41566, Korea Abstract : Seasonings, also known as spices and herbs, are appreciated for their culinary properties and potential health benefits. They are a rich source of beneficial bioactive phytochemicals. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of addition of different proportions of butternut squash seed (BS) powder on the quality characteristics and antioxidant potential of seasoning. The BS powder enhanced the color values and antioxidant potentials of the seasoning. The antioxidant activity, as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), of seasonings increased by up to 30.92% in the sample containing 5% BS powder. The total phenolics content was also increased by 91.40% with the addition of 5% BS powder. Seasonings prepared by adding BS powder could be used as good sources of natural antioxidants. This study suggests that the addition of BS powder could enhance the color value as well as antioxidant


Introduction
Seasonings, sometimes interchangeably known as spices and herbs, have been used in a different ways in various cultures for a long time. In ancient times, spices were status symbols in many parts of the world for the wealthy who consumed them (Uhl 2000). Seasonings not only provide flavors but also play roles as colorants, preservatives, and source of phytochemicals. For example, turmeric is used for its yellow color but also contains anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-carcinogenic effects. Seasonings are generally a blended combination of more than one ingredients so as to provide a complete and balanced functional addition for further processing of meat and food products.
Seasonings are increasingly used not only for their culinary purposes but also for their potential health benefits because they are a good source of different phytochemicals. Formulation of seasonings is often dependent on the regional flavor preferences. Spices are, generally, highly aromatic because of the high contents of essential oils, whereas herbs are low in essential oils and usually used to produce delicate or subtle flavors in food preparations (Chi and Wu 2007). Different forms of spices such as whole, ground, or extract are common in use (Srinivasan et al. 2004). In dietetic practice, herbs and spices are frequently used as an alternative to salt to prevent and manage of hypertension. In culinary art, they are primarily used to flavor foods and infuse vegetable oils and vinegars. Similarly, seasonings are used for flavor, medicine, color as well as a preservative for the prevention and destruction of harmful bacteria (Ernst and Pittler 2000). Many spices and herbs are gaining ever increasing interests because they possess a variety of phytochemicals such as polyphenols, menthol, retinol, carotenoids, which have antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties ( Butternut squash (Cucurbita moshchata) is a seasonal crop that is used as food and feed, and is rich in carotenoids, dietary fibers, and minerals (Jacobo-Valenzuela et al. 2011b). A scientific review report showed that it is a good source of α and β-carotene, lutein, vitamin C, dietary fiber, minerals, and phenolic compounds (Jacobo-Valenzuela et al. 2011a). Seeds and seed oil of butternut squash are also found to have antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties (Murkovic et al. 1996;Li 2020). Cultivation-wise, butternut squash is rather simple and able to adapt to organic farming. It can easily be grown in different parts of the world. It is one of the commonly grown vegetables in Korea. Considering the nutritional value and easy availability of butternut squash, the objective of this study was to investigate the color value and antioxidant potential of seasoning prepared with its addition.

Preparation of seasoning samples
Butternut squashes (BS) were harvested at the commercial maturity stage and transported to the lab within 2 h of harvest. The seeds were separated manually, were washed with tap water, and kept for oven drying (60°C, 8 h). The dried seeds were ground into powder using an electric grinder (HMF 3450S, Hanil Co., Seoul, Korea). The seed powder was stored at 4°C and used within 3 days for making seasonings.
The ingredients used for the preparation of BS seasoning are given in Table 1. The BS powder and other ingredients were mixed thoroughly and simultaneously heated in a pan over a hot plate (Prestige Euro ER-822W, Sunny Tech Ltd., Korea) for 45 min. After heating for 45 min, the samples were allowed to cool at room temperature and subjected to freeze dry. The freeze-dried mixture was milled (Speed Rotor Mill, KT-02A) into powder. The samples were kept into airtight containers and stored in refrigerator until analysis.

DPPH radical scavenging activity
The radical scavenging potential of seasoning samples was measured through DPPH following the methods described ealier (Blois 1958

Determination of total polyphenols
The total polyphenol content of seasoning samples was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method (Singleton et al. 1999). Sample extracts (50 μL) (used for DPPH assay) and 1000 μL aqueous Na 2 CO 3 (2%, w/v) were mixed and kept for 3 min at room temperature. Then, 50 μL 1 N Folin-Ciocalteau reagent was added into the reaction mixture and allowed to react for 30 min at room temperature under dark condition. The absorbance value of the reaction mixtures was measured at 750 nm using a spectrophotometer (Multiskan GO, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Vantaa, Finland). A calibration curve was plotted with gallic acid (GA) as a standard.

Statistical analysis
Analysis of variance was conducted using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA) to compare the means of different samples, and the significant differences between the sample means were determined using Tukey test at p<0.05. Average values of three replicates were reported.

Results and Discussion
Color of BS seasoning Significant variation in color value was observed among the seasoning samples prepared by adding different proportions of BS powder (

Antioxidant potential of BS seasoning
The antioxidant potential of seasonings were determined through DPPH and total polyphenol content (

Conclusion
The effect of addition of butternut squash powder to seasoning was investigated with color and antioxidant potential. The addition of the powder enhanced the color values and antioxidant potentials. Thus, Natural seasonings prepared by adding different concentrations of butternut squash powder could be used as good sources of natural antioxidants in the human diet.