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Cucurbitaceae

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INTRODUCTION

The cucurbitaceae family include gourds, melons, pumpkins and squashes. They are characterized by their fleshy fruits. The seeds of many members of the group have been noted for their oil bearing properties. However, little information has been found that describes existing methods of oil extraction. In most cases the raw materials are grown primarily a" food, and the oil bearing seeds are used to make supplementary foodstuffs, thereby making dietary use of the oil. In such cases it would seem unlikely that it would be economically viable to extract oil from these raw materials, unless a large processing plant is involved that produces seeds in quantity. It has been suggested, however, that certain types of Curcubitacae, and in particular those that grow wild in arid areas, could be a potential source of oil. It is reported that the Arid Land Agricultural Development Institute, Lebanon, has carried out considerable research in this field (Anon).

Bottle gourd

I. GENERAL

COMMON NAME

Bottle Gourd

BOTANICAL NAME

Lagenaria siceraria

FAMILY

Cucurbitaceae

OTHER NAMES

White flowered gourd, Calabash gourd, Trumpet gourd; Calebassier, Courge bouteille (French); Cojombro, Guiro Amargo (Spanish); Upo, Talayag, Gucuzzi, Zucca melon (Philippines); Mokwa, Oo Lo Kwa (China).

CULTIVATION CONDITIONS

The vegetable is widely cultivated throughout the tropical regions of the world. It will tolerate a wide range of rainfall conditions but prefers moderate amounts with plenty of sunshine (Herklota, Tindall).

MAJOR PRODUCING COUNTRIES

India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Tropical Africa, Colombia, Brazil.

DESCRIPTION AND YIELD

The vegetable yields approximately 10-15 fruits per plant (Tindall).

MAIN USES

The fruits are generally eaten as a vegetable in Africa and Asia. The mature fruit is often scooped out and the skin used as containers, or in some cases, fishing floats. Shoots and leaves are also cooked and the seeds are removed for oil extraction or for use in cooking (Herklots, Tindall).

 

II. AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS

CULTIVATION

The vegetable is grown from seed sown in mounds, ridges or prepared holes 120-180 cm apart. After germination and emerg ence, the crop is thinned to leave one seedling per space (Tindall).

Planting in India takes place at monthly intervals from February until August. In Hong Kong the operation usually takes place between March and April (Herklots).

The following major diseases occur in some areas, although they are not often very serious:

Cucumber Mosaic virus

Powdery Mildew

Anthracnose

Fusarium wilt (Tindall).

HARVESTING PERIOD

The fruits are ready for harvest 100 - 120 days after sowing.

 

IV. PROCESSING

No information has been encountered on the commercial extraction of oil from the seeds of this plant.

Based on experimental work carried out in Southern France, oil was extracted from Lagenaria and its composition analyzed by the Station Onenologique de 1’; Herault, Laboratoire Inter-regional de Montpellier in 1987. According to the results of the analysis, this oil is similar to gourd seed oil both in its composition in fatty acids (high content in essential fatty acids: Linoleic acid, absence of linolenique acid) and in the composition of sterolic compounds (high content in spinasterol). This oil is, therefore, comparable to semi-siccative oils such as sunflower oil or grapeseed oil. However, it has not been possible to have access to any toxicological studies. The amino acid composition is given in Table 1 below. The fatty acid composition is given in Table 2 and competed to that of sunflower.

Table 1 - Amino acid composition of Lagenaria Siceraria grain

Amino acid composition of the whole seeds Amino acide composition of the oileeed cake
AMINO ACIDS gr. per 100 g seeds gr. per 160 of N. gr. per 100g seeds gr. per 160 of N.
Aspertic acid 2.41 7.49 5.22 7.38
Threonine 0.85 2.64 1.93 2.73
Serine 1.24 3.85 2.91 4.12
Glutamic acid 4.71 14.64 10.58 14.97
Boline 0.83 2.58 1.98 2.67
Glycine 1.44 4.47 3.33 4.71
Alaine 1.22 3.79 2.77 3.92
Cystine 0.49 1.52 0.88 1.24
Valine 1.33 4.13 3.14 4.42
Methionine 0.70 2.18 1.56 2.21
Isoleucine 0.99 3.08 2.23 3.15
Leucine 1.80 5.59 3.99 5.64
Tyrosine 0.80 2.49 1.85 2.62
Phenylalanine 1.72 5.34 3.85 5.45
Histidine 0.72 2.24 1.64 2.32
Lysine 0.87 2.70 1.93 2.76
Arginine 4.77 14.82 10.63 15.04

Table 2 - Comparative fatty acids composition of Lagenaria siceraria and Sunflower

FATTY ACIDS LANGENARIA SICERARIA SUNFLOWER
C14:0 0.1 -
C16:0 13.8 6.6
C16:1 0.1 0.1
C18:0 6.6 4.5
C18:1 17.4 26.4
C18:2 61.4 60.8
C18:3 0.1 0.4
C20:0 0.4 0.2
C20:1 0.1 0.5
C22:0 - 0.5

There is a lack of identifiable information for the following areas: GENERAL, production; AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS, varieties, major pests and harvesting methods; POST HARVEST, pretreatment, preservation, storage methods and equipment; PROCESSING, processing methods, by products, nomenclature of products and equipment; OIL EXTRACTION, processing methods, nomenclature of products and by products and equipment.

Buffalo gourd

I. GENERAL

COMMON NAME

Buffalo Gourd

BOTANICAL NAME

Cucurbita foetidissima. C.maxima, C.palmata. C.digitada

FAMILY

Cucurbitaceae sp.

OTHER NAMES

Chilicote, Mock orange (C.palmata), Hubbard squash (C.maxima), Wild gourd (C. digitada),

CULTIVATION CONDITIONS

These species of wild gourds grow particularly well in arid regions and disturbed soils. They are suited to desert environments. For optimum growth the crop requires long periods of warm, dry weather and well drained soils. It cannot tolerate frost or waterlogging (Anon).

MAJOR PRODUCING COUNTRIES

MEXICO, USA - historically, the crop has been used by the North American Indians as a source of food and to produce soap. There are no details of production as the crop is still being examined for its agricultural and economic potential.

DESCRIPTION AND YIELD

The plant (Buffalo gourd) produces yellow, hard shelled fruit up to 8 cm in diameter which contain a white pulp and flat seeds 12 mm long. The fruit dries out so completely that the seeds can be threshed out. The large starchy roots can weigh 30kg but contain bitter glycosides. They can however be used for starch production. Yields differ greatly between plants, some being barren whilst others are prolific producers of seed. An average fruit will contain 150-200 seeds. Yield is thought to be in the region of 2 000 kg/ha. The seeds contain approximately 34% oil (Anon).

It is thought that the plant can match the performance of groundnuts and sunflowers as an oil producer (Anon).

The other species listed above contain edible oil in the seeds ranging from 2538%

MAIN USES

The plant is becoming increasingly recognised as a potential commercial crop. The seeds can be pressed to obtain an edible polyunsaturated oil for food and industrial use and the roots to produce starch. The use of the oil cake in animal feed requires further examination.

The oil extracted is bland in odour and taste. It varies from dark reddish brown - light yellow green in colour (Bucher). It has been reported that a high quality edible oil results after refining. (Vasconcellos).

 

II. AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS

CULTIVATION

Buffalo gourd and related species grow wild in desert wastelands, as a perennial vine. Research has shown that it can be asexually propagated using root nodules or planted directly from seed.

The crop has a high resistance to pests such as the cucumber beetle and the squash bug.

HARVESTING METHODS

Research has shown that the crop can be mechanically harvested. In arid environments the fruit dries up allowing the seed to be threshed out during the harvesting process.

 

III. PROCESSING

No information has been encountered on the extraction of oil from Buffalo gourd.

FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF OIL

Palmitic acid 7.8%
Stearic acid 3.6%
Oleic acid 27.0%
Linoleic acid 61.5%

(Source: Bucher)

There is a lack of identifiable information for the following areas: AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS, varieties, planting period, major diseases and harvesting period; POST HARVEST, pretreatment, preservation, storage methods and equipment; PROCESSING, nomenclature of products; OIL EXTRACTION, equipment and nomenclature of products and by products.

Fluted pumpkin

I. GENERAL

COMMON NAME

Fluted Pumpkin

BOTANICAL NAME

Telfairia occidentales

FAMILY

Cucurbitaceae

OTHER NAMES

Fluted gourd, Telfairia nut; Calabaza, Costillada (Spanish); Iroko (Nigeria); Krobonko (Ghana); Pondokoko, Oroko, Gonugbe (Sierra Leone).

CULTIVATION CONDITIONS

The crop is grown across the lowland humid tropics of West Africa. It is partially drought resistant and is tolerant to a wide range of soils (Okoli).

MAJOR PRODUCING COUNTRIES

Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone.

DESCRIPTION AND YIELD

The fruits of Fluted Pumpkin can be very large. Lengths of up to 105 cm and 9 cm diameter having been recorded. They are outwardly marked by 10 longitudinal ridges. When ripe they are a bright yellow. Embedded in the fibrous mesocarp are a large number of seeds, 196 were recorded in one fruit. The seeds are dark red and up to 5 cm in length. 2-5 fruits per plant are produced although this fluctuates as many female flowers do not reach full maturity (Tindall). The ripe fruit contains up to 13% oil. No data was encountered on the oil content of the seed alone (Okoli).

MAIN USES

The crop is primarily grown as a leafy vegetable and is used for human con sumption and animal fodder. The seeds are either roasted or ground for other food preparation. A good cooking oil can be extracted from the seeds. It has been suggested (Irvine) that the oil could be used for making soap. A related species T. pedata is recorded as being grown commercially for its oil rich seeds in E. Africa (Okoli).

 

II. AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS

CULTIVATION

The pumpkins are planted solely from seed, often close to fences and walls so that the shoots have a support to climb against (Okoli). In other cases they are planted in mounds measuring approximately 75-90 cm each way.

The major pest attacking the Fluted pumpkin is the larvae from the cotton leaf roller (Sylepta derogata) which feeds on the leaf edges of the plant causing them to curl and fall. The pest is usually controlled by hand picking (Tindall).

The major noted diseases include: Leaf spot caused by Cercospora citrullus which attacks the leaves of the pumpkin, causing them to drop off. Other species affecting the crop are: Corynespora spp, Fusarium spp, and the Mosaic virus (Tindell).

HARVESTING PERIOD

Harvesting takes place 120-150 days after sowing.

 

III. PROCESSING

No information has been encountered on methods of processing of Fluted pumpkin seeds.

There is no identifiable information for the following areas: GENERAL, production; AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS, varieties and harvesting methods; POST HARVEST, pretreatment, preservation, storage methods and equipment; PROCESSING, processing methods, by products, nomenclature of products and equipment; OIL EXTRACTION, oil composition, processing methods, nomenclature of products, by products and equipment.

Marrow

I. GENERAL

COMMON NAME

Marrow

BOTANICAL NAME

Cucurbita pepo

FAMILY

Cucurbitaceae

OTHER NAMES

Marrow, Vegetable marrow, Summer Squash; Citrouille (French); Calabaza (Spanish; Pumpkin (Philippines); Calabacilla, Calabacilla (Mexico).

CULTIVATION CONDITIONS

The marrow is grown throughout South East Asia, Tropical South America and Africa. It does not like high temperatures and high humidities, preferring well drained soils with plenty of organic matter (Herklots).

MAJOR PRODUCING COUNTRIES

India, Malaysia, Philippines.

YIELD AND DESCRIPTION

Numerous varieties of C.pepo of different fruit sizes exist. They contain numerous seeds 1.1 - 2.6 cm long, 0.9-1.5 cm wide and 2-4 mm thick. The seed kernels constitute 75% of the seed weight. It is possible to harvest 20 t of fruit per ha. The seeds have an oil content of 48% of the weight of the kernel.

MAIN USES

The plant is primarily used as a vegetable. It has been estimated that some 1200 tons of seed could be obtained from large commercial pumpkin canning operations in the USA. It is said that pumpkin oil has been commercially extracted in Eastern Europe and Russia.

 

II. AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS

CULTIVATION

The crop is sown directly from seed in ridges 75 -90 cm apart, trailing varieties are spaced 2.0-2.5 m apart. When the seedlings emerge they are thinned out to two plants per spacing.

Three main varieties are used:

Pepo - Field pumpkin

Medullosa - Vegetable marrow

Melopepo - Bush summer squash (Tindall).

The major pests attacking marrow are listed below:

Aphis gossypii - Glover aphid causes wilting by sucking cell sap.

Aulacophora spp. - Red pumpkin beetle, the adults of this species shred the plants leaves whilst the larvae attack the roots and the fruits.

Dacus ciliatus - Fruit fly, the larvae tunnel into the fruit introducing rotting organisms in the process.

Diabrotica spp. - Cucumber beetle, contains Erwinia spp. which causes bacteria wilt.

Epilachna spp. - beetles, causes damage by eating the leaves.

Meloidogyne spp. - Root knot nematodes, stimulate the formation of root galls which interfere with the uptake of water (Tindall).

The major diseases attacking the marrow are:

Pseudoperonospora cubensis (downy mildew) attacks the leaves of the plant which in turn affects fruit set and flavour. Erwinia tracheiphila or bacterial soft spot has been noted to cause bacterial wilting (Tindall).

HARVESTING PERIOD

Mature fruits of the Medulosa variety are ready for harvesting 80-100 days after sowing (Tindall).

The fruit can be safely stored for up to 7 days after harvesting at temperatures below 10 deg C and 95% humidity (Tindall).

 

III. PROCESSING

OIL EXTRACTION

No data encountered.

FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF OIL

Palmitic acid 7.0-12.0%
Stearic acid 6.0-7.0%
Oleic acid 24.0-41.0%
Linoleic acid 46.0-57.0%

(Source: Ecky)

BY-PRODUCTS

When extracting oil from seeds on a relatively large scale, the flesh from the fruit is sometimes used as animal fodder or for industrial alcohol production (Nartonffy). The meal produced during the processing operation is used as a constituent for animal feed (Hamid).

There is a lack of identifiable information for the following areas: GENERAL, production; AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS, harvesting methods; POST HARVEST, pretreatment, preservation, and storage; PROCESSING, processing methods, by products, nomenclature of products and equipment; OIL EXTRACTION, processing methods, nomenclature of products and equipment.

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