Pumpkin Powder – Organic

Organic Pumpkin Powder is a smooth, finely milled powder made from ripe pumpkins. With its naturally sweet and earthy flavor, it can be mixed with water for a quick pumpkin purée substitute or blended into smoothies, lattes, and shakes. Its rich color and mild taste also make it a favorite for seasonal recipes.

Convenient and shelf-stable, organic pumpkin powder is a versatile ingredient for both sweet and savory dishes. Use it to enhance soups, sauces, baked goods, or pancake batter, or stir it into oatmeal and yogurt for a touch of autumn flavor year-round.

Fun Facts about Pumpkins

Here are a bunch of interesting facts about pumpkins that may surprise you.

• The US produces a billion and a half pounds of pumpkins every year, and 80% of them are picked during the month of October.
• The average pumpkin contains around 500 seeds.
• Pumpkins take 90-120 days to reach maturity.
• There are more than 45 different varieties of pumpkin ranging in colors like orange, yellow, and green, and names like cotton candy and orange smoothie.
• Some varieties include Jack-o-lantern (used for carving), Pie pumpkins (small and sweet), Miniature (small and inedible), White (edible but often used for decoration), and Giant (used for contests and less sweet)
• All parts of the pumpkin are edible (skin, seed, leaf, flower, pulp, and stem).
• Pumpkins are around 92% water.
• Pumpkins are naturally low in calories and a quality source of carotenoids.
• The oldest pumpkin seeds were found in Mexico between 7000 and 5550 BC.
• The practice of carving Jack-O’-Lanterns was brought to America by the Irish. However, they were initially cut out of potatoes and turnips.
• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1140 pounds
• The largest pumpkin pie was over twenty feet in diameter, 3700 pounds, and used 80 pumpkins, 36 pounds of sugar, and 12 dozen eggs. The crust was made of 440 sheets of dough and took 6 hours to bake.

Pumpkins: A Delicious and Versatile Food

Pumpkins are considered one of the most versatile foods because all parts are edible. Pumpkins can be steamed, boiled, baked, and used to make hearty pies and soups because they tolerate high heat well. The flesh is also used to make bread, pasta, pancakes, and a version of mashed potatoes.

The seeds are a popular snack and are used to make protein powders. While the pumpkin rind takes time to break down, it has many fantastic functions as a food. Whether cooked in a soup, used in jams to enhance its clean and creamy taste, or seasoned with olive oil and salt and baked with other vegetables, there is no good reason to waste a good pumpkin rind. The pumpkin leaves are often treated like spinach but can also be used similarly to grape leaves in Mediterranean cuisine. Finally, while immensely popular in salads, adding a sweet and slightly earthy flavor, pumpkin flowers are most well known for being stuffed with meat or cheese, battered and deep fried for a delicious treat.

Improves flavor and texture profile

Two factors most people consider essential when consuming food are taste and texture. Let’s face it; no one wants to eat something that tastes like crap or has an unappealing texture. When used correctly, changing the flavor and texture of a food or dish is one area where pumpkin powder can really shine. Adding it to any dessert or smoothie by sprinkling a heaping tablespoon on top instantly supports a well-balanced flavor profile. The Mildly sweet flavor of pumpkin powder may enhance a bland or unappealing food or recipe and provide your palate with just enough, but not too much.

Pumpkins: A Treasure Trove of Nourishment.

All nourishing foods of color contain a wide array of compounds that have been verified by research to benefit human biochemistry. Each one of these foods has a superstar compound that they are known for containing. The superstar in pumpkins is the family of compounds known as carotenoids.

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are a class of red, orange, or yellow fat-soluble pigments produced by plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. There are more than 600 types of carotenoids (some of the most common include alpha and beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin), all with unique attributes that are researched for their ability to take on antioxidant-like qualities potentially. Carotenoids are classified into two primary groups: Xanthophylls (primarily protect from too much sunlight, contain oxygen, more yellow pigment, and are associated with nourishing the eyes), which closely associate with green leafy vegetables, and Carotenes(have no oxygen and are associated with orange pigment).

Quercetin

While apples and onions are the “foods of choice” when acquiring quercetin, pumpkins are also a source of this potent flavonoid. Among the compounds researchers have discovered in pumpkin byproducts, flavinoids were the most abundant, including the O-glycosylated quercetin derivatives. Quercetin has been spoken of as one of the most potent flavonols, and a little bit goes a long way.

Quercetin is being aggressively studied for its ability to support a healthy aging process through multiple mechanisms of action. In one human study, quercetin showed its ability to inhibit inflammation by increasing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors(PPARy), which was shown to antagonize nuclear factor kappa b (NFKB), a protein complex at the top of the inflammation cascade that controls transcription of DNA, cytokine production, and cell proliferation.

In another human study, quercetin was revealed to inhibit glucose uptake through the increased activation of activated protein kinase(AMPK). This enzyme plays a role in cellular energy homeostasis, activating glucose and fatty acid uptake when cell energy is low. The activation of AMPK stimulates Akt (protein kinase B that regulates glucose metabolism) and glucose transporter 4(GLTU4), responsible for glucose uptake in fat and muscle cells.

In a review discussing the therapeutic potential of quercetin as a cardiovascular agent, it was stated, “Quercetin exhibits significant heart-related benefits such as inhibition of LDL oxidation, endothelium-independent vasodilator effects, reduction of adhesion molecules and other inflammatory markers, the protective effect on nitric oxide and endothelial function under conditions of oxidative stress, prevention of neuronal oxidative and inflammatory damage and antiaggregant platelet effects.”

The following was stated in a review of the biochemical constituents of pumpkins and their role as Pharma Foods.

• “Pumpkins are well equipped with nutraceuticals and functional bio-actives like tocopherols, polyphenols, terpenoids, and lutein; therefore, consumption and processing of this remarkable vegetable could be encouraged as pharma food due to its antihyperlipidemic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential.”
• “Significant amount of minerals (potassium, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus) and phytochemicals (α tocopherol, β tocopherol, γ tocopherol, β sitosterol, stigmasterol, squalene, and β carotene) have been quantified from different varieties of pumpkins, and extracts from pumpkin were found involved in antimicrobial activities against different bacterial and fungal strains.”
• “Pumpkin seed oil is a good source of edible oil and protein as it contains 41.59% fat and 25.4% protein. Further proximate analysis of pumpkin seeds reported moisture at 5.2%, crude fiber at 5.34%, total ash at 2.49%, and carbohydrates 25.19%.”

Finally, the following was stated in a study discussing the effects of Pumpkin, beta carotene, and a forced swimming test had on depressive behavior. 

• After 28 days, treatment with SSP and β-carotene significantly decreased the immobility time during the FST.
• SSP significantly increased the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.
• BDNF, pERK, and ER-β levels significantly increased in the SSP- and β-carotene-administered groups compared with the control group.
• The groups treated with SSP and β-carotene showed significantly reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 compared with the control group.

Therefore, it was concluded that pumpkin and beta carotene have the potential as therapeutic agents in the treatment of depression.

Z Natural Foods hand-picks specific ingredients for our customers based on three concepts to provide the best quality product possible to support optimal well-being. 

• Versatility
• History of safe and effective usage
• Strong evidence of positive research outcomes in humans

Pumpkins: A Delicious and Versatile Food

• Pumpkins are considered one of the most versatile foods because all parts are edible.
• Pumpkins can be steamed, boiled, baked, and used to make hearty pies and soups because they tolerate high heat well.
• The flesh is also used to make bread, pasta, pancakes, and a version of mashed potatoes.
• The seeds are a popular snack and are used to make protein powders.
• While the pumpkin rind takes time to break down, it has many fantastic functions as a food. Whether cooked in a soup, used in jams to enhance its clean and creamy taste, or seasoned with olive oil and salt and baked with other vegetables, there is no good reason to waste a good pumpkin rind.
• The pumpkin leaves are often treated like spinach but can also be used similarly to grape leaves in Mediterranean cuisine.
• Finally, while immensely popular in salads, adding a sweet and slightly earthy flavor, pumpkin flowers are most well known for being stuffed with meat or cheese, battered and deep fried for a delicious treat.

Pumpkins: A Treasure Trove of Nourishment.

All nourishing foods of color contain a wide array of compounds that have been verified by research to benefit human biochemistry. Each one of these foods has a superstar compound that they are known for containing. The superstar in pumpkins is the family of compounds known as carotenoids.

Carotenoids

• Carotenoids are a class of red, orange, or yellow fat-soluble pigments produced by plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria.
• There are more than 600 types of carotenoids(some of the most common include alpha and beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin), all with unique attributes that are researched for their ability to take on antioxidant-like qualities potentially.
• Carotenoids are classified into two primary groups: Xanthophylls(primarily protect from too much sunlight, contain oxygen, more yellow pigment, and are associated with nourishing the eyes), which closely associate with green leafy vegetables, and Carotenes(have no oxygen and are associated with orange pigment).

Quercetin

While apples and onions are the “foods of choice” when acquiring quercetin, pumpkins are also a source of this potent flavonoid. Among the compounds researchers have discovered in pumpkin byproducts, flavinoids were the most abundant, including the O-glycosylated quercetin derivatives. Quercetin has been spoken of as one of the most potent flavonols, and a little bit goes a long way.

• Quercetin is being aggressively studied for its ability to support a healthy aging process through multiple mechanisms of action. In one human study, quercetin showed its ability to inhibit inflammation by increasing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARy), which was shown to antagonize nuclear factor kappa b (NFKB), a protein complex at the top of the inflammation cascade that controls transcription of DNA, cytokine production, and cell proliferation.

• In another human study, quercetin was revealed to inhibit glucose uptake through the increased activation of activated protein kinase (AMPK). This enzyme plays a role in cellular energy homeostasis, activating glucose and fatty acid uptake when cell energy is low. The activation of AMPK stimulates Akt (protein kinase B that regulates glucose metabolism) and glucose transporter 4 (GLTU4), responsible for glucose uptake in fat and muscle cells.

• In a review discussing the therapeutic potential of quercetin as a cardiovascular agent, it was stated, “Quercetin exhibits significant heart-related benefits such as inhibition of LDL oxidation, endothelium-independent vasodilator effects, reduction of adhesion molecules and other inflammatory markers, the protective effect on nitric oxide and endothelial function under conditions of oxidative stress, prevention of neuronal oxidative and inflammatory damage and antiaggregant platelet effects.”

The following was stated in a review of the biochemical constituents of pumpkins and their role as Pharma Foods. 

• “Pumpkins are well equipped with nutraceuticals and functional bio-actives like tocopherols, polyphenols, terpenoids, and lutein; therefore, consumption and processing of this remarkable vegetable could be encouraged as pharma food due to its antihyperlipidemic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential.”
• “Significant amount of minerals (potassium, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus) and phytochemicals (α tocopherol, β tocopherol, γ tocopherol, β sitosterol, stigmasterol, squalene, and β carotene) have been quantified from different varieties of pumpkins, and extracts from pumpkin were found involved in antimicrobial activities against different bacterial and fungal strains.”
• “Pumpkin seed oil is a good source of edible oil and protein as it contains 41.59% fat and 25.4% protein. Further proximate analysis of pumpkin seeds reported moisture at 5.2%, crude fiber at 5.34%, total ash at 2.49%, and carbohydrates 25.19%.”

Finally,  the following was stated in a study discussing the effects of Pumpkin, beta carotene, and a forced swimming test had on depressive behavior.

• After 28 days, treatment with SSP and β-carotene significantly decreased the immobility time during the FST.
• SSP significantly increased the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.
• BDNF, pERK, and ER-β levels significantly increased in the SSP- and β-carotene-administered groups compared with the control group.
• The groups treated with SSP and β-carotene showed significantly reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 compared with the control group.

Therefore, it was concluded that pumpkin and beta carotene have the potential as therapeutic agents in the treatment of depression.

 

Suggested Use: Add one ounce (about 4 level tablespoons) to 8 ounces of water or until desired consistency is reached. For cooking, baking, and your favorite recipes, replace 1/4 cup of flour with pumpkin powder.Mixing suggestions: To increase flavor and nutritional profile, combine with our organic extra-rich cacao, banana flakes, and lucuma powders.

Miscellaneous Facts about our Organic Pumpkin Powder

Ingredients: Organic Pumpkin.

Certifications: Certified USDA Organic.

Parts Used: Whole fruit (no seeds).

Botanical Name: Cucurbita Moschata.

Other Names: Pumpkin.

Origin: Grown and dried in China and packaged with care in Florida, USA.