A UF researcher is breeding pumpkins to make one that has good flesh and good seeds. Normally, the fruit only has one or the other.
Geoffrey Meru, an Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor, started a study at the end of 2016 to look at the nutrition components of various pumpkins and their seeds. He wanted to get an idea of which are the best kinds to move forward within the breeding program. The study was published on March 15.
The study found that pumpkins with naked seeds, which are seeds that lack a coating, would be the best for snacking and oil production because of their large size and amount of oil.
He wants to breed naked-seeded pumpkins with pumpkins that have very healthy flesh to create a fruit that is more appealing to growers.
Of the 35 different varieties of pumpkins studied, the Styrian pumpkin had the biggest seeds with the most seed oil and the Kakai pumpkin maintained qualities that keep a longer shelf life.
“So the end product for a grower would be a pumpkin that he can have, cut, serve the flesh, harvest the seed from the fruit and make oil out of it,” he said.
The pumpkins are expected to be in the market in four to six years and will be a similar price to regular pumpkins, Meru said.
