Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Cucurbitaceous Vegetables Available in South Western Region of Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was conducted in the Molecular Horticulture Laboratory, Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, during the period from August 2011 to February 2012, with a view to determine the physico-chemical characteristics of 12 selected cucurbitaceous vegetables available in the south-western region of Bangladesh. The study was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. A significant variation was observed among the vegetables in relation to vegetative characteristics. The higher values were found in bottle gourd in respect of total weight (1570 g), weight of edible part (1306 g), and non-edible portion (263.7 g) among the 12 selected vegetables. The highest length (47.10 cm) was observed in snake gourd. The highest width (24.93 cm) was recorded in pumpkin. The highest pH value (6.803) was found in teasle gourd. The highest titratable acidity (18.82%) and highest vitamin C (196.1 mg/100 g) were found in bitter gourd (Karala). The highest iron content was recorded in sponge gourd (5.692 g/100 g), and the highest moisture content (97.23%) was found in cucumber. The highest carotenoids (9.30 mg/100 g), flavonoid (5.5 g), and anthocyanin (0.153 mg/100 g) were recorded from pumpkin. The highest antioxidant was found in bitter gourd, and that was the lowest in sponge gourd and teasle gourd. The overall observation indicates that cucurbitaceous vegetables are rich in nutrients.